Between the Virgin and the Maiden
by Kriskahn
Summary: Outtakes that take place between "The Virgin Swan and the Cullen Intuition" and "The Maiden Swan and the Cullen Domain." Rated for the same language and lemony goodness.
1. The Prom Outtake

**_DISCLAIMER: _**I own nothing. That should cover it. :D

**_AN:_** You might want to read the first couple of chapters of _"The Maiden Swan..._" before venturing into these outtakes. It sort of sets up the reason why I did them.

And so begins the outtakes....

For future references, these outtakes are going to be pretty lengthy and out of chronological order. My brain doesn't work chronologically, so why should my outtakes? :D This outtake takes place a couple of months before Chapter 1 of _The Maiden Swan..._ Maybe that will help keep everyone in order. :D

* * *

OUTTAKE

NO.1

**_THE PROM SCENE_**

____

BPOV

____

"Mmmm…"

Edward chuckles softly behind me, burying his face deeper in my hair and kissing the back of my neck. I roll over in his arms and smile up at him.

"Good morning," he whispers.

I nod with a lazy smile, closing my eyes again.

"Get some more sleep, baby. I'll go make us some breakfast."

I latch onto him, wrapping my arms and legs around him so that he can't get out of bed. I open my eyes and see a slightly confused look on his face. I press a few kisses to his neck and pull away to look up at him again, trying to gauge if he is in the mood or not. He smiles down at me, rolling us over so that he's on top of me, my legs wrapped around his hips.

"You sure you don't want to sleep anymore?"

I nod. He smiles down at me crookedly. "Are you not going to speak at all?"

I smile and shake my head. He cocks his eyebrow, looking down at my lips. "A challenge, huh?"

I bite my bottom lip and shrug. He groans and attacks me. He trails kisses down my neck, across my collarbone, and down my already naked body. Last night we went to bed naked after our shower. I love feeling his skin against mine, even if we're just sleeping.

I hardly finish my thought before his lips are on my clit. I gasp, keeping my voice silent. If he thinks this is a challenge, then game on. He slides his finger inside of me slowly, pumping it back and forth at the same pace. He pulls his face away from me, replacing his lips with his thumb as he crawls back up my body.

He kisses me deeply, as his fingers continue their ministrations. I can feel my orgasm coming on and I'm not sure if I can keep silent for much longer. I bit my bottom lip as the feeling builds.

"That's right, little girl, let go," he whispers, pressing his lips to my ear.

I'm surprised at the intensity of my orgasm and the lack of noise I make. My body goes completely rigid, I throw my head back against the pillow, and I grab on to his arms. Yet, not a single peep came from me. I open my eyes and look into his.

"That was fucking beautiful…"

I smile at him sweetly, before he moves on top of me. He kiss me deeply again as he slides into me. My limbs automatically wrap around him, holding him tightly to me. He rests his forehead against mine as he starts moving inside of me. "Fucking perfect… so fucking perfect…"

I slide my hands into his hair, pulling his face closer to mine so I can kiss him. Once my lips are on his, I move my hands down his body until I pinch his nipples. He stops the kiss, whimpering against my lips. His pace quickens and I find it harder and harder to stay quiet. His mouth wanders down my jaw line and neck until he's kissing and nipping at my collarbone.

I want to call out to him so badly. Instead, I grab a handful of his hair and yank his head up so I can kiss him. He attacks my mouth with a newfound fervor and starts to move faster. His hand slithers between our bodies, rubbing my clit. "I need you to come, Bella."

I smile wickedly against his lips and shake my head. He nips at my bottom lip. "Do it."

I feel it coming on and try and think of something to make it go away. My grip on his hair tightens. He grabs my hands and pins them down, holding them together with one of his while his other goes back to circling my clit.

"Don't fight me, little girl. Let go," he says in a low menacing voice.

He hates it when I do this, but I just love how he feels inside of me, on top of me, surrounding me completely. "Do it, baby," he whispers against my lips.

He applies a little more pressure to my clit and that triggers it. This time, I'm not silent. I moan his name, which turns into a whimper as I feel him release after me. I love how the feel of my orgasm causes him to climax. His body gives out and he collapses on top of me, crushing me, but I don't mind at all—I like it, in fact.

His grip on my wrists lessens and I pull my hands free, wrapping my arms around him so I can hold on to him a little longer. He picks up his weight after a second and smiles down at me crookedly. "Sorry… didn't mean to crush you."

I smile up at him before kissing him slowly. I shake my head. "I don't mind."

He smiles against my lips before sighing dejectedly. "Please tell me today isn't Sunday."

"I wish I could," I whisper.

He kisses me chastely. "Then we need to get you up and showered and fed before you get on the road."

He picks me up and throws me over his shoulder as he gets out of bed. I laugh out a scream at the manhandling. He knows I love this shit. He doesn't set me down until we're in the shower.

"So where are you getting your dress for Prom?"

I roll my eyes. "This again? I thought we settled this last weekend. I'm not going."

He nods his head. "Oh, but you are going, love. You're going and guess what? You're going to like it."

"I'm not going and you can't make me."

He scoffs at me. "Oh, you think so, huh?"

He looks at me menacingly and his hands curl into claws like they usually do right before he tickles me. I hold my hands up in surrender. "Dammit, why is it so important to you for us to go to Prom?"

"Because you told me that when you were a little girl you thought Prom was supposed to be some kind of magical night for a girl. Why can't we just see if that's still true or not?"

I can't help the eye roll I give him. "Seriously? Because that's all a bunch of myth and legend. Prom is meant for girls and guys to have their first time, and guess what we've already had?"

He rolls his beautiful green eyes right back at me. "If you want, we can still have sex and we can pretend like it's the first time."

He laughs at me disgusted expression. He pulls me against his soapy chest. "We're going to go to your senior Prom, baby. You're going to look beautiful and you're going to have a blast."

I huff. "Fine. We'll fucking go."

He chuckles. "Listen at that mouth." He swats my butt playfully.

I push him away and finish our shower. While he's drying my back he reminds me, "You haven't told me where you're getting the dress from."

I shrug. "I don't know. I'll have to set up a date with Alice to find a dress."

He kisses my shoulder. "Make sure you take the credit card with you."

I mimic my hand like it's talking at the same time he is. He smacks my butt again. "Seriously, Bella."

I turn around and poke his chest. "You better stop that shit before I—before I…"

He cocks an eyebrow at me and I back hand his nipple. He gasps and I run. Unfortunately, he catches me before I can head down the stairs and takes me back to the bedroom where he throws me on the bed and has his way with me.

Not that I'm complaining.

* * *

As soon as walk through the front door to Dad's house, I call Alice up. "What's up, Bella?"

"Apparently we have to go dress shopping for Prom."

"Yay! He talked you into going?! That's great, Bella!"

I laugh softly. "Yeah, sure. Just tell me when we can go, please."

"We can go next Sunday. I can meet you in Seattle before you leave and we can spend the afternoon dress hunting."

"Just remember this is Prom and not our weddings, okay? I don't feel like wearing some big puffy gown all night."

"Blah, blah, blah. You'll get what I tell you to get."

"I see this demanding streak runs in the family."

"Ew. I don't want to know anything my brother and I have in common. I'll see you tomorrow."

Dad knocks on my open bedroom door as I hang up the phone. I spin around and smile at him. "Hey, Daddy."

"Hey, Bells. I didn't hear you come in."

"I just got here ten minutes ago. I was about to come looking for you."

He motions to the phone. "Making plans with Alice?"

I nod, tossing the phone on the bed. "Edward is forcing me to go to Prom and Alice is all too thrilled about helping him out."

Dad chuckles. "He just wants you to have a normal senior year."

I nod again. "I know, I know. But we've talked about this; he and I have talked about this. I don't care about senior year, you guys. I like what I have just fine. Forcing me to participate in what you guys think is 'normal activities for a girl my age' is really just pissing me off."

Dad laughs loudly. "Excuse us for wanting you to be happy."

I push Dad out of my bedroom door. "Let's go find something to cook, shall we? I think it's time for another lesson with Chief Bella."

"Can we make something simple this time? I'd prefer not to go to all that trouble just for us to order pizza."

I giggle. "I won't be talking to Edward this time, so nothing will get burned."

* * *

"Goodnight, Dad. I'll see you in the morning."

"Sure thing, Bells."

I shut my bedroom door and smile at the little red flashing light on my phone beckoning me from the bed. I flop down beside it and open it up to see a text message from Edward.

_I swear to God, Bella. If you haven't made it home yet, I'm going to kill you._

I gasp, sitting up in bed as I press his speed dial number. He answers the phone on the second ring.

"Are you in a hospital?"

"No."

"Are you hurt?"

"No," I say with a grimace.

"Are you dead?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Then you had me worrying for nothing?"

"I'm sorry, baby. I called Alice when I first got in and then Dad distracted me. It just completely slipped my mind to send you a text telling you I was home."

"Because you obviously don't do this once a week."

I sigh. "I said I was sorry, Edward."

He sighs just as unhappily. "You just can't do that to me, baby. You have such a long way to drive. I can't _not_ worry."

"I'm sorry," I whisper. I always feel like shit when I do this. This isn't the first time and I wish so much that it could be my last.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get so angry." He takes a deep breath. "What did you and Alice talk about?"

And that's that: argument over and forgiven. Not forgotten, but we've forgiven each other. I tell him all about my short conversation with Alice and then cooking with Dad. We bid each other goodnight once we realized we'd been on the phone for about an hour. Once I'm changed in to my pajamas and under my blankets, I close my eyes and try to picture my senior Prom with Edward.

____

EPOV  
____

It's been too fucking long of a Monday, and it's only lunch. Mondays are always the hardest day for me. I get to spend the weekend with Bella in our happy little bubble but then have to face the cold reality Monday morning that she doesn't live with me. However, these Mondays are dwindling down slowly. Soon—very soon—Bella will be a permanent fixture in our apartment.

James and Peter take their seats in front of me at our regular seat in the cafeteria. James slaps the table in front of me. "Tell me what's going on, Cullen. You call me last night telling me you have something really important to talk about but you won't tell me about it over the phone."

Peter nods. "That shit wasn't cool. I got worried until I called James. We thought you were… well, we thought you were relapsing."

I smile down at the table. "I apologize for that, but I'm a little… I'm a little nervous about this."

James and Peter exchange worried looks before looking back at me. I pull a small black box from my pocket and set it in the middle of the table. I watch both guys intently. They stare at the box like it's going to explode in two seconds and kill us all. Peter tentatively reaches for it before stopping midway and look at me. "Can I open it?"

I nod, giving him the permission he wanted. James leans in towards Peter as he opens the box. Their eyes get a little big and then they both frown. James looks at me. "As much as you talk about this Bella—that we still have yet to meet by the way—you would think that the ring would be a little… bigger."

I roll my eyes. "Bella isn't like that. I could give her a fucking bread-tie and she'd be happy."

Peter nods. "He's right, James. I mean, the chick has his initials tattooed on her side."

James chuckles. "I still want to see the rest of that tree."

I snatch the box back from Peter and narrow my eyes at James. "The tree isn't for you to see."

Peter smiles at me crookedly. "Still a little touchy about the tattoo subject are we?"

I roll my eyes. "Back to the proposal, guys."

Peter throws his hands up. "I think you should do it. You're completely in love with this chick."

James shakes his head. "I don't know, man. I mean why haven't we met her?"

"Because I'm just not… ready to share. I only get to see her for a short period of time on the weekend and I just don't feel like sharing that time with my friends."

They nod in understanding. James and Peter look at one another. Peter shrugs and James sighs. He looks back at me. "Get married. Who am I to tell you '_no_'? I can't believe that. Both Cullen boys are going to be married."

At the table next to ours, one of the large football players calls my name. I turn to him and smile. "Hey, Johnny."

"Did I hear this right? You're getting married?"

I slip the ring box back in my pocket and nod. "I hope to be getting married. I haven't asked her yet."

"Dude! You're fucking crazy! We just had to go through this with your bro! What's the deal?! You Cullen guys used to be hardcore partiers! Ever since you two found these girls, we haven't seen you out."

I smile. "That's the beauty of finding the love of your life, gentlemen. When you find her, you'll know. Trust me."

I get up, wave goodbye to the jock table and Peter and James before heading on to my next class. This Sunday, Bella would find out what dress she'd be wearing and then I'd have to go get a suit to match. I couldn't fucking wait to make this night the magical night she'd always wanted it to be.

____

BPOV

I hate saying goodbye to Edward early, but he understands completely and gives me a searing kiss goodbye, as if he's making sure I know what I'm leaving. _Like I need a fucking reminder…_

Alice and I meet at some dress shop that specializes in any occasion you'd need a dress for: gala, party, ball, prom, wedding, or wedding party. They have everything you'd need from the dress to the shoes to the accessories. My plan is to walk out of this place with everything I need so I can get home as soon as possible. Where did I find the energy to go constantly? I don't know, but today I'm feeling a little worn out.

We walk into the dress shop and are immediately greeted by two attendants. I look at the nametags on their matching suits. The tall redhead is named Michelle and the shorter brunette is named Katelyn.

"Welcome to Selita's Boutique. My name is Michelle, what can we do for you ladies today?"

Alice quickly lets the women know, "We're here to see what kind of Prom dresses you have."

Katelyn motions to the left side of the store. "We have plenty to choose from and a catalog of many more that aren't on display. Is there anything specific you're looking for?"

I point to myself. "I just need a dark color, like a midnight blue or hunter green. Maybe even a plum or maroon."

Alice looks at me questioningly and I shrug. "He told me I look my best in dark colors. He likes the way it makes me skin glow," I finish lamely, looking down at my shoes with a blush on my cheeks. I love the way Edward compliments me, but telling people about it always makes me blush. It feels like I'm giving away private information sometimes. With the way he tells me these things, it makes them seem like they're extremely private and personal things.

Alice giggles and nudges me. "Come on."

We follow Katelyn and Michelle to the left side of the store and let the two ladies aid in our epic quest to find the perfect Prom dresses. I'm actually surprised at how quickly we find the right ones. Alice gets an ice pink halter dress that has a short skirt that puffs out like is has some kind of tutu under the material. It's really… Alice-y.

My dress, on the other hand, is pretty simple. It's a maroon color that goes down to my ankles, ties behind my neck and exposes my entire back. Everyone is going to flip when they see my tattoo. No one but Alice and Jasper know about it. But most importantly, Edward is going to go nuts when he sees the dress—or rather when he sees _me_ in the dress.

Before we leave Seattle, we decide Alice should take it to her house since our plan is to get ready there. When I pull into my Dad's driveway, I pull out my phone and immediately send a text to Edward.

_Just made it home. Bought the dress. You're going to die when you see it. _

By the time I get up to my room, my phone dings with a new text.

_Are you trying to kill me? You can't do that to a person and then expect them to wait._

I can't help but giggle at his message. I press his speed dial and wait only one ring before he picks up.

"You're an evil, evil woman."

I laugh. "I know. I'm sorry… well, not really, this was your idea, so you brought this on to yourself, mister. It'll be worth the wait though. You'll love it."

"I fucking better."

"You will. Trust me."

"What color is it? I need to make sure I match… and your corsage matches."

I laugh again. "Color coordinating? I didn't know you had it in you."

"I should be offended by that. I happen to like the outfits I wear."

I roll my eyes even though he can't see me. "A t-shirt and jeans isn't too hard to match up."

"Whatever."

"It's maroon. Go to Selita's Boutique. They have really nice sales ladies there. Maybe I can go with you so I can make sure you get the right color."

"Sure. We can do that this weekend when you get home."

I sigh. _Home… I wish I were home right now…_ "Yeah, that'll be great."

"What's wrong? Your voice changed."

I shake my head, clearing my head of all the wishful thoughts and my eyes of the unshed tears. "Nothing. It's nothing." I pause for a second. "I need to go. I have laundry that I need to get done."

"Bella—"

"No, Edward, don't. We don't need to do this. I just wish I were home is all."

He sighs dejectedly. "I shouldn't have said '_home_'. I'm sorry… I—"

"Edward, please…"

He sighs again. "I love you."

"I love you."

I hang up the phone and stare down at the flashing numbers. I hate this. God, how I hate living in two separate places. My Dad's house is no longer home to me. I'll always be welcome here; there's no doubt about it, but this isn't home anymore. Home is in Seattle; home is with Edward. And until I graduate high school, I'm going to be away from home far too often.

I try and push the dreaded feelings to the back of my mind and concentrate on getting ready to start my week.

* * *

On Tuesday, I get some much needed time with Jake. I head out to La Push after three. He gets out of school then and it takes me about twenty minutes to get to his house. I honk the horn when I drive up, relieving me of having to converse with Billy. He hated the Cullens to start with and now he feels that it's all Edward's fault for Jake's distrust in him (even though it's all his doing for going along with my revenge-obsessed father).

Jake runs out of the house, happy to see me, like usual. He pulls me into a tight hug. "Hey, Bells!"

"Hey, Jake!"

He pulls away and holds me at arms' length. "It feels like it's been months instead of a week."

I nod. "I know the feeling."

He shakes his head. "You look tired."

I nod again. "That's because I _am_ tired. I think this past year is finally catching up with me. All this running back and forth to Seattle and working and hanging out with you and Alice and Dad…" I sigh. "It makes me tired just thinking about all of it."

He wraps his large arm around my shoulders, leading me around the back of the house. "Then let's go watch some movies. It's too dreary of a day to hang out in the garage."

"Too '_dreary_'? First of all, when did you start talking like that? And secondly, when did you start wanting to do anything besides working on your car?"

He shrugs. "I guess school is actually started to teach me something and I suppose since I care more about your well-being than my car, I can put off working in the garage for one day."

We walk in through the backdoor so we can avoid Billy. I kick off my shoes and crawl on to his bed. He shuffles through some of his DVDs. "Anything in particular? I've got some Simon Pegg movies, I know how much you love those."

"_Shaun of the Dead_?"

He chuckles and holds the DVD beside his head, wiggling it to show me he's got it as he turns on his TV and DVD player. As soon as the movie is in and playing, he crawls onto his bed beside me. I have no shame curling up to Jacob the way I do with Edward, simply because Jake and I will never be anything like Edward and I. They both make me feel safe and protected, and those feelings always calm and relax me.

* * *

"Bella? You have to wake up—it's getting late."

I open my eyes, focusing on the TV as I try to figure out what just happened. I lean off the massive chest I was using as a pillow and frown down at Jake. "I fell asleep?"

He chuckles and nods. I groan and bury my face in my hands. "Damn it. I'm so sorry, Jake."

He scoffs. "Bella, it's okay." He pulls my hands away from my face. "Look at me."

I pout. "It's not okay. I only get once a week to really hang out with you and I just slept it away."

He shakes his head. "I'd rather you sleep here than sleep on the road."

I sigh. "Still."

He pulls me into a hug, rubbing my back gently. "Bells, you need to slow down. Maybe ask for some time off from the diner or skip a couple of days of school and stay in Seattle. This is not healthy."

Before I can comment on Jake's idea, my phone rings from my back pocket. He chuckles. "Speak of the devil."

I smirk, flipping open my phone. "Hey, Edward, Jake and I were just talking about you."

"Shit. Today's Tuesday. I totally forgot. I'll let you—wait, did you say you were talking about me?"

I giggle and Jake wags his fingers, asking for the phone. "Jake wants to talk to you."

"Sure, put him on."

I hand Jake the phone and he gets off the bed. I pull one of his pillows against my chest and lay back down, watching him pace back and forth as he talks to Edward.

"Hey, man, how are ya?—I'm good. I just had to wake up your girlfriend. Apparently you aren't letting her rest while she's there.—I'm pretty sure you stay in bed the whole time you're there, but I doubt you're sleeping while you're doing it, but I'm not needing a play by play of your sex life right now. I need your help, because I think Ms. Swan is going to get stubborn and not take my advice.—It's my best advice yet, buddy. I think you'll love it as well. Bella needs a vacation from all this driving back and forth and working crap. I suggested she take time off of work from the diner or maybe skip a couple of days of school and stay in Seattle.—See? I told you you'd love it."

I throw one of his pillows at him. "Put him on speakerphone if the two of you are going to talk about me."

"Hold on, Edward. She wants me to put you on speakerphone." He pulls the phone away from his head and presses the speaker button on the side. "Can you hear me?"

"Absolutely," Edward replies, his beautiful voice sounding slightly distorted by the speaker.

"Hey, baby," I call out to him.

He chuckles before telling me, "Hey, little girl. What's this I hear about you sleeping at Jake's? I thought you guys were just friends?"

I roll my eyes at his joke. "What can I say, Edward? Jake's grown up since the last time you seen him."

"Okay, that's enough of that joke," he says quickly, causing Jake to laugh heartily.

"So, what do you suppose we do, Edward? Bella's going to collapse if we don't get her a vacation."

"I'll talk to Charlie and see what we can do."

"Hey," I interrupt them. "What the hell, you guys? I'm right here. Did you ever think about maybe asking me if I'd cooperate before you go behind my back?"

Edward and Jake both ask at the same time, "Would you if we didn't?"

I giggle. "That's too cute."

"Answer the damn question, little girl."

Jake rolls his eyes at my giggle. I nod. "Yes, I'd cooperate."

"Really?" they both ask in unison again.

I can't help but laugh harder. I get up and take my phone from Jake, turning off the speaker and pressing the phone to my ear. "Yes," I say to the both of them. "I've taken you off speakerphone by the way. I'll call you when I get home and we can suss out my vacation plans."

He chuckles softly. "The plans are taken care of. I think getting you here and keeping you happy and relaxed is the most important and easiest part."

"Then we just need to figure out when."

"Prom."

"What?"

"Prom. The weekend you have Prom you come here and go home on Tuesday."

"That sounds good." I look up at Jake; his arms crossed and foot tapping. "I have to go. You're cutting into Jake's time."

He laughs loudly, causing Jake to narrow his eyes. "Tell him I apologize and thank him for me."

"I will. I'll talk to you in a little while."

"Love you."

"Love you," I tell him before I hang up the phone.

Jake rolls his eyes. "About damn time."

I roll mine right back and lay back down on his bed, moving over so he can get in with me. "He wants me to tell you thank you and he's sorry."

"You can tell him I accept his apology and he's welcome."

I stay for another hour before finally getting up and heading back to Forks. I tell Dad my plans for Prom and he thinks it's a good idea. He tells me he was about a week from suggesting the same plan. The next day at the diner, I put in for that Monday off, forcing me to have to come in Tuesday afternoon.

The next couple of weeks seem to fly by. Edward and I go looking for a suit for Prom at Selita's Boutique; having Michelle from the other day help us pick up the exact same color. He didn't let me see him in it, but I got to see the suit itself on a mannequin near the middle of the store. It looks like any other tuxedo—only the suit, vest, and tie are black, while shirt is maroon. I can just imagine him in it and the mere thought makes me weak in the knees.

____

EPOV

____  
It hit me after seeing Bella off the Sunday before Prom, that I was forgetting a major, major key point in this whole proposal thing: I need Charlie's permission. So, here I am, driving to Forks on a Wednesday afternoon. Bella will be at work while Charlie is hopefully at the station. Just because we're getting along doesn't mean he's going to give me permission to marry his daughter. So, I'd need witnesses if he tries to strangle me—or worse—for asking.

I try not to think negatively about the situation. I mean, we are living together on the weekends. I know he isn't stupid enough to think that we sit around watching TV the whole time, or that I sleep on the couch while she's there. So why wouldn't he grant me the permission I need to make his daughter an honest woman?

I groan as I pull up in the station's parking lot. His cruiser is missing, which means he's more than likely at home already. I pass by the diner to make sure Bella's car is there before heading over to Charlie's. I pull in behind his cruiser and take a deep breath before getting out of the car. I try to calm my nerves before getting out of the car, but the front door opens before I can get to the level of calmness I need to get to.

_Maybe I should've spoken to my father about this before coming…_

I get out of the car and smile at Charlie. "Hey, Chief."

"Hey, Edward. Everything okay?"

I nod. "Great. Um, do you have a moment to talk?"

He chuckles and nods. "Yeah, I think I have a second."

We walk into the house, where I follow him into the living room. He turns off the TV and motions to the couch beside him. "Have a seat. Tell me what's on your mind."

He has an amused look on his face which concerns me slightly—maybe he knows why I'm here. Why else would I come here without asking for Bella right away?

"Sir, I have a very important question to ask you, but I feel like I need to tell you something as equally important before I ask you."

He scoffs. "I thought we settled this '_sir_' thing."

I nod. "Yeah, we did. Sorry… you know, old habits and all…"

He laughs, motioning for me to continue. "I didn't mean to interrupt."

I take a deep breath. "Charlie, you have to know by now that I'm completely in love with Bella. I love her more than I can articulate into words. She's my everything and I want to thank you for letting me be in her life; for allowing me to love her without fighting us anymore. I want to give her the world. I want to take care of her for the rest of our lives. I want to marry her, but I can't do that without your permission."

He nods. "Yeah, you can do that without my permission. That's the wonderful thing about free will, son."

"Yes, but I would rather have your permission to marry her before I asked her."

"When do you plan on doing this?"

"Prom night."

He chuckles and nods. "She'll like that very much, I think."

He falls silent, staring at the coffee table lost in thought. I leave him to his thoughts for a moment, before I can't take it any longer.

"Charlie, please tell me I can marry her. Please, tell me I have your blessing."

His eyes snap up, locking with mine. He sighs. "You have to promise me that you'll never, _ever_ hurt her. You have to give me your word that you will give her the world and take care of her for the rest of your lives. I know anybody can make those promises, but it takes a man to honor them. I need you to be that man, Edward."

I nod. "You have nothing to fear where she's concerned, Charlie. I'd die if anything happened to her."

"And this shit that happened at the beginning of the year? With the drinking? She was pretty torn up about all of it. She was just… drifting, waiting until you got your act together. She wasn't the same girl I saw before that happened or the same girl I see now. You can't let that happen again, Edward."

I shake my head. "You have my word, sir. I didn't anticipate how hard it would be to be away from her. She's an amazing girl, Charlie. The most amazing girl I've ever met and… no, I won't make excuses for my behavior or try and give reasons as to why it happened. It happened, but it won't happen again. I give you my word that it won't and that I will be what she needs me to be from now on."

Charlie stood, holding out his hand. I followed suit, clasping his hand with mine. "I'll take your word for it, Edward. I give you permission to marry Bella."

I could sing right now. I don't know what I'd sing, but I feel like the heavens just opened up and shone their light upon me, blessing me with this gift: Charlie's permission. I can't help myself when I wrap my arms around the man, hugging him tightly. "Thank you, Charlie. Thank you so much."

He chuckles, pushing me away. "Get out of here before Bella finds out you're in town."

I laugh with him. "She'd kill me if she knew I was here without saying hi to her."

"Exactly. If you don't leave now, then all of this will be for nothing."

I shake his hand one last time. "Thanks."

He smiles. "You're a good man, Edward. I see what Bella sees… I trust you."

Another '_thank you_' just doesn't seem like it would be appropriate. I say my goodbyes and get the hell out of Forks before anyone even knows I'm in town.

____

BPOV

____

Between work, school, friends, and Seattle, I hardly notice when the day before Prom arrives. Alice brings it to my attention once we get out of school Thursday. We make arrangements to get our hair fixed Friday morning, meaning we're skipping school. Thankfully, most of the teachers didn't mind half the senior class not being there, which means I'll only have to worry about the homework from Monday and Tuesday.

On Friday morning, I get a wakeup call from Edward.

"Good morning, beautiful. Excited about tonight?"

I giggle sleepily. "Edward, you're interrupting my beauty sleep."

He scoffs. "Like you fucking need it. Get up, little girl. You have a very big day ahead of you."

I roll my eyes, readying my reply, but before I can respond, there's a knock on my bedroom door. "Bells?"

"Hold on a second, Edward."

"Gladly."

I pull the phone away from my ear. "Come in, Dad."

Dad opens the door and I gasp. In his hands is a large vase of red tulips. Suddenly, I'm wide awake and smiling like a loon. I pick the phone back up. "Edward…"

"Don't even think about thanking me. That's just the beginning. Now get up and go get your hair done. I plan on being in Forks around four this afternoon. Apparently, Mom is cooking dinner for us and Alice and Jasper after she takes a shit load of pictures."

I laugh. "Then I'll see you at four."

"On the dot."

"Love you."

"Love you."

I hang up the phone and jump out of bed, grabbing the vase from Dad's hands. He laughs, telling me, "He's had this whole thing coordinated out for the past couple of days, just so you know."

"Really?"

He kisses my forehead. "Get ready or you're going to be late."

He winks at me before shutting my bedroom door. I hurry through getting ready by taking a quick shower and pulling on some yoga pants and a random t-shirt. I grab my purse, jacket, and keys on the way out, hollering at my Dad that I'd see him at the Cullen's house later today. I meet Alice at her house, taking her car to Port Angeles to get our hair done.

"So what all do you know about tonight's plans? Edward told me Esme wanted to cook for us. When did she decide that?"

"This morning when Edward called."

I frown. "He called Esme? Why?"

Alice shrugs. "I don't know. I have no idea what my brother has planned for tonight."

I smile. "I was surprised by a vase full of red tulips this morning."

Alice gasps. "He sent you flowers?!"

I nod, smiling wider at the remembrance of the large vase of flowers in my room. Alice sighs. "That's really sweet."

I flip on the radio and find a loud party song. Alice laughs. "It's like ten am, Bella."

I shrug, turning it up. "So?! I want to have fun today, and guess what? You're going to join me!"

Alice laughs, turning the radio even louder. By the time we get back to the Cullen house after getting our hair done, it's almost three p.m. and Edward and Jasper would be there in about an hour. We run up to Alice's room to freshen up, put on our dresses, and do our makeup.

I look at the clock and see it's almost four-thirty. I'm about to bring this to Alice's attention when a quick rapid knock sounds through her bedroom. Alice looks at the clock and then at me. "Jasper and Edward should be here by now."

Alice prances over to the door, pulling it open and smiling brightly. She reaches through the door and pulls Esme inside the room. Esme holds her daughters hands, looking her up and down. "You look beautiful, Alice!"

She turns to me and smiles even wider. "Edward… poor, poor Edward."

"Are they here?" Alice asks excitedly.

Esme nods, taking our hands and pulling us behind her as she exits Alice's bedroom.

"I hear clicking. I think that's them," I hear Carlisle say from the living room. I can't take Esme's slow pace, so I pull my hand away from hers and rush past her to get to the bottom of the stairs faster. Edward stands from his spot on the couch, his jaw going slack when he turns around and sees me.

"Holy shit," he whispers. Carlisle sighs dejectedly.

Edward and I walk towards each other, meeting in the middle of the living room. He takes my hand into his, bringing it up to his lips. "Turn around… slowly."

I do as told, turning around for him to see, making sure to keep my backside to him a little longer. I want him to take in the backless dress and the sight of my tattoo. He growls low. I turn back around and look him up and down and grin. "You look awfully dashing."

"There aren't words to describe your beauty right now."

I touch his clean shaven cheek and smile. He holds my hand against his cheek with his, kissing my wrist. I hear the shutter of a camera and turn to see Esme and Carlisle both taking pictures. Carlisle smiles at me. "Charlie said he'd be a little late and to start dinner without him."

Edward takes my hand and leads me to the dining room, where he pulls out my chair for me, pushing it in as I take my seat. The diner goes by quickly with Charlie showing up halfway through. "Wow, you guys look great! A lot better than how your mother and I looked at our Prom."

As soon as diner is finished, Edward surprises Alice and me with the limo. He tells Alice and Jasper that there will be a car at the lodge to take them home since we'll be heading back to Seattle after the Prom is over. Alice and Jasper don't care too much; they are too busy making eyes at each other. They both look great. Jasper even got his vest and tie to match Alice's pink dress.

We take a ton of pictures both inside and outside of the Cullen house. We get out of there around six p.m. and we still have to drive about thirty minutes to the hunting lodge where Prom is being held at. The conversation is lacking on the drive. Jasper and Alice are whispering to one another and Edward can't take his eyes off of me.

He brushes his lips against my ear. "You truly are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

I lean against him, snaking my hand under his coat as I move closer to him. He tenses up, which causes me to stop moving my hand at his side. I look up into his eyes and find them closed tightly. "Sensory overload."

I smirk, pulling back away from him. He sighs unhappily. "I'm sorry, baby, but if I'm going to be around you all night, I'm going to have to take you in small doses," he whispers sadly.

I kiss his cheek. "It's okay, I understand. I'm going to have to refrain myself from provoking you."

He cups my jaw, lifting my face to press a slow kiss to my lips. I hum happily against his lips, smiling as he smiles. "I missed you," I whisper.

He rubs his nose against mine, kissing me softly before doing it again. "I missed you, too."

He wraps his arms around me, holding me against his side as we ride the rest of the way to the lodge in silence. When we get there, the Prom is in full swing. We take even more pictures at the door before we're actually allowed inside the lodge.

Just as predicted, everyone flocks to me to get a look at my tattoo. The girls shamelessly flirt with Edward and I can't help but roll my eyes as he hardly gives them the time of day. We dance until we can't stand and drink punch until our tongues are red. After a while, we lose track of Jasper and Alice and find ourselves alone.

It's close to the end of the night and everyone is slowly filing out, heading to whatever after party they want to attend. My after party is in Seattle and it's in my bed. Edward and I haven't been able to stop touching one another all night long. His hands have hardly left my back and mine have hardly left his chest. He ditched his jacket and tie sometime ago, leaving him in just his vest, shirt, and obviously pants and shoes.

When the DJ gives the last dance call, Edward pulls me outside in the cold. He jogs over to the pavilion near the edge of a tall cliff that is enclosed by tall bushes, dragging me behind him as he goes. I could hardly hear the music coming from the ball room, but the second he pulls me against his chest and starts dancing with me, it doesn't matter that I can't hear it.

I close my eyes as he rests his forehead against mine, spinning us in slow circles. I feel something cold and hard touch my finger on my left hand just as his lips brush against mine whispering, "Marry me."

I gasp, jumping back and covering my face with my hands, leaving my eyes uncovered so I can see him. However, when I jump back he drops the ring and I gasp again. I bend down to pick it up, but in my haste—and my heels—I lose my balance, leaving Edward to catch me. We both end up falling; him landing on his backside with me in his lap.

Edward laughs loudly while I laugh softly in embarrassment. Once he settles down, he cups my face, kissing me soundly. When he pulls away from me, he looks me dead in the eyes.

"Tell me yes," he whispers desperately.

As if I could tell him anything else. I smile brightly and nod excitedly. "_Hell_ yes!"

He laughs, his eye brows raised in surprise as he slides the ring on my finger. "And here I thought we were going to have to edit the telling of the story because of _my_ mouth."

I look down at my finger, ignoring his jibe. The ring is so beautiful and simple and I love it so much, vowing at that moment that I'll never wear another ring to take away from the beauty of this one. The only other ring I'll ever wear is my wedding band. I look up at him, launching myself at him as I kiss him wantonly. I could make love to him right here in the cold.

Instead, he reminds me of Alice and Jasper's ride home and tells me it's time for us to go home to Seattle. I don't argue. We go inside, tell Alice and Jasper bye as we get our things, and get in the limo. I realize I haven't told Alice the good news, but it can wait. I just need him, and if the grip he has on my hip tells me anything, it's that he needs me, too. As soon as we're in the limo, we attack each other.

He pushes me away once we get out of town. "No, wait, Bella. I'm not going to have sex with you in the back of limo. Not right now."

I can't help the whimper that escapes me as I rock against his lap. "Edward," I whisper.

He shakes his head. "Please, baby. Just wait. I have a surprise waiting for you at home."

I rest my forehead against his, sighing at the use of the word '_home_'. I curl up to him, pressing my face against his neck. "Okay," I whisper.

Edward holds me to him as he moves down the seat, giving him room to lay us down. I rest my head on his arm as we curl up to each other as we lay down. He runs his hand up the outside of my thigh, pushing my dress up as he goes. He presses his face against my neck as his moves his hand back and forth, groping and caressing. I unbutton the top few buttons of his shirt, running my hands over his chest and up and down his neck.

For the next three hours, we do nothing but touch and kiss, teasing each other until near insanity. Finally, the limo comes to a stop outside of the apartment. Edward tips the man, holding me against him so I don't run into the house to find my surprise. Once we're at the door, he pushes me against the door, kissing me heatedly as he unlocks the dead bolt and the doorknob. He pulls me against him without breaking the kiss as he opens the front door.

He picks me up, continuing the kiss as he holds me against him, walking through the front door and shutting it behind him. He finally pulls away from me as he locks the door. The house is completely dark, but we both know the layout like the back of our hands.

He surprises me as he scoops me up in his arms and heads towards the stairs. Taking one step at a time, slowly, he makes his way upstairs until he's at our bedroom entrance.

"Open the door, baby."

I reach out in the darkness and open it. The sight before me takes my breath away. Edward sets me down slowly as I take everything in. The small lamps on either side of the bed are on with red material draped over them, casting a sensual glow over the room. On our white bedspread are flower petals in the shape of a heart with two paths of petals leading from the bed to where I'm standing.

I spin around and look up at Edward, tears coming to my eyes. "This is…"

He smiles at me crookedly. "The magical night you always dreamed Prom would be."

I smile brightly, throwing myself at him. He catches me, holding me against him. I move forward to kiss him, but he prevents me by pulling away. "What's wrong?" I ask him.

"I know that I can't give you back our first time so we can have it tonight, but I thought that maybe tonight we could make it special by having our first time being engaged."

I sigh against his lips, wrapping my arms around him tighter. "Make love to me, Edward. Please?"

His lips are on mine as he sets me on my feet. He quickly has the tie at the back of my neck undone and my dress pooled at my feet before I can even realize it. He groans throatily as he sees that I'm wearing absolutely nothing underneath my dress.

"Bella," he groans before crashing his lips against mine. As he attacks my lips and neck and palms my breasts, I get him out of his clothes. As soon as he's as naked as I am, he picks me up and wraps my legs around his waist, walking us over to the bed where he lays me down in the middle of the flower petals.

I pick one up, curious all of the sudden as to what kind of petals these are. I smile at him as I realize. "Tulips."

He smiles down moving between my legs. He kisses his way down my body until his face is buried in my pussy. He sucks and licks as if he were a desperate man drinking a glass of water. His talented tongue, lips, and fingers bring me to completion almost immediately. All the touching from the limo had me on the edge and ready for this.

He kisses his way back up my body, kissing me deeply as he reaches my lips. I push against him until he gets on his back beside me. I have no intention of returning the favor simply because I need him inside of me. I throw my leg over his waist, straddling him. He positions himself with one hand as he pushes me down onto him with his other one.

The further he slides into me the more complete and whole I feel. My back arches and my head falls back as soon as he's all the way in. "_Fucking perfect…_"

I look down at him to see his look of adoration and devotion. The expression brought tears to my eyes. I grab his hands and pull him into a sitting position, wrapping my arms around him as I press my forehead against his.

"Happy tears?" he asks in a soft voice as he wipes them off my cheek.

I didn't even realize they'd fallen until he spreads the wetness across my cheek. I nod. "Very happy."

He crashes his lips against mine as I start moving off of him slowly. I move back onto him just as slowly, starting a slow and steady rhythm. I don't want this to end anytime soon. I have to move this way or it'll be too much for him. The feeling of it all gets to be too much for me to concentrate on kissing.

"Hold on," he whispers against my panting mouth.

He moves us back so that I'm lying on my back with him on top of me, all without breaking the connection. He cradles me against him before he starts moving again. His lips trail up and down my neck, but I want his lips on mine. I grip his hair tighter, pulling his face back up to mine. His lips attack mine in a hungry frenzy. I release the grip on his hair and move my arms so they circle his torso. I can feel my second orgasm coming on and I dig my fingernails in to his back.

"So close… please, Bella… need you to come."

"I'm close."

"I'm closer. Touch yourself," he begs me desperately.

I move my hand between our bodies and rub my clit hard. If he's close, then I need to get closer. "Kiss me," I tell him.

I grip his hair again as his lips find mine. The combination of it all causes me to finally release with Edward right behind me. We stay completely still, panting heavily into each other's mouth as we come down from our post-orgasmic high. He pulls out of me, hissing as his sensitive skin moves against mine. He rests his forehead against mine as he lowers the rest of his body on to mine.

"My Bella," he says reverently against my lips.

"My fiancé," I say back.

He smiles brightly. "My fiancé."

I kiss him slowly before pulling away to tell him, "I love you."

"I love you."

We lay like this until a shiver runs through him. His hot skin is cooling causing the sweat to make him cold. I kiss him softly. "Let's get under the covers. I'm not done with you yet, mister."

* * *

There ya have it. Hope you enjoyed the goodness. The next outtake will be the Tattoo Outtake and then we'll be getting to the Christmas Outtake for rcace. (see what I mean about the 'not in chronological order?)

As for chapter seven of _The Maiden Swan..._: It's coming soon. LOL! I can't give you dates. Sorry. .

Leave 'em if ya got 'em. See you guys soon!

PS: This is pretty important... k? Okay, so I'm not doing the outtake with Edward and his breakdown. That would be where Edward starts drinking and almost breaks him and Bella up. All you'll get from that time slot is the first two chapters of "_The Maiden Swan..._" You can head over to my profile for the reasons why. They're at the bottom of the page.


	2. The Tattoo Outtake

_**AN:**_ **PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU READ!!! **I have two really **important **things I feel like I need to say.

***ONE:** At the end... we have some pretty _angry_ sex. Well, _we_ don't, but Edward and Bella do. I'm a little nervous about it... but I was told by some important people that I should just do it. So... I'm doing it. I don't want to give too much away because I want people to enjoy it, but I don't want to offend anyone... so when Bella goes into the bathroom to take care of her tattoo... read at your own risk, k? kk.

***TWO: **The way Bella takes care of her tattoo is the same way I've taken care of all ten of mine. However, a friend was told to take care of it differently. We did some research and there are a few different ways to take care of a brand spanking new tattoo. Bella and Edward took/will take care of their tattoos the way I took/will take care of mine. Please don't tell me I did it wrong, because you'll make me sad and I'll cry and I _hate_ crying. I get all snotty and red faced... it gets ugly...

**That is all. Enjoy the show!**

* * *

OUTTAKE

NO.2

**_THE TATTOO SCENE_**

____

EPOV

____

I hate waking up to my alarm clock: it has to be the most annoying fucking sound in the world. People always think it's weird that I wake up in _such_ a bad mood, but the incessant fucking beeping of the goddamn alarm clock that wakes me up every day is enough to make me want punch the fucking wall—let alone when it wakes me up from a dream about Bella.

I turn off the alarm clock and roll over, being met with the empty side of the bed. I close my eyes tight and get out of the bed quickly. I hate waking up to her side of the bed when it's empty. By the time I make it to the door, I remember that today is Sunday. I groan when I realize that I set the alarm out of habit and I don't even need to be up right now.

_But if today is Sunday… where the hell is Bella?_

I walk downstairs and find her in the kitchen on the laptop. The coffee pot is making coffee and the stove is covered in pans full of cooking food. I lean against the doorframe, smiling at the sight in front of me. Her hair is some messy ball of curly, wavy hair on top of her head. She has on this small little tank top and a matching pair of boyshorts. She can get me hard just by looking at her.

She must have sensed me looking at her; her body stiffens and she turns to me. She grins. "What are you doing?"

"Watching the most beautiful girl in the world cook me breakfast, obviously. What are you doing?"

Her cute little grin turns wicked. She leans back against the counter, rubbing her thighs together. I know she can tell the effect she has on me. I'm standing here in my boxer-briefs—not much to hide an erection behind. I watch as her eyes slowly trail down and then back up my body.

"Cooking breakfast," she replies simply and turns back around.

I'll admit; that confuses me. She just checked me out, saw I was hard and then turns around like nothing just happened. I walk up behind her, pressing myself against her ass. I kiss her below her ear. "Good morning."

She giggles softly. "Good morning."

I look at the food she's cooking and see that she's seconds away from being finished. I pull the eggs from the burner as she takes the last pieces of bacon and French toast from their separate pans and place them onto two plates. I walk up behind her again, pressing myself against her again, hoping she'll get the drift.

I wrap my arms around her, one hand cupping her breast and the other her pussy, pressing against her clit. She gasps. I press my nose against the soft skin behind her ear. "Thank you for making me this amazing breakfast, baby, but I'd rather eat you instead."

I spin her around and grab her quickly, plopping her down on the kitchen table. "Lay back, Bella."

She bites her bottom lip and does as told, laying back and opening her legs to me. I remove her panties and tell her, "Push up your top."

She pulls it up and off, tossing it across the kitchen. I push her legs open, attacking her clit with my teeth and sucking on it hard. She calls out my name, gripping my hair with both hands. I push her legs open wider until they're nearly touching the table. I thrust my tongue as deep as I can into her entrance, lapping her up. I remove one of my hands from her thigh so I can replace my tongue with my fingers, thrusting in deep and hard. I move my thumb onto her clit as I kiss my way up her body; her hands still gripping my hair.

I try to suck on her nipple, but she pulls me up to her face, kissing me hard. She fucks my mouth with that talented little tongue of hers and I can't help but moan. She moves her hands from my hair so she can grip my arm with one hand and pull me out of my boxer-briefs with the other. She pulls out of the kiss and whispers, "So close," against my lips.

I move back down her body, replacing my hand with my mouth. I nibble at her clit once again, flicking it with my tongue in between nips. I slide my fingers back into her, pumping her a few times before I switch, putting my mouth at her entrance and massaging her clit with my thumb. I reach my free hand up and pinch her nipple. That's all it takes to cause her to release. Her walls clamp around my tongue as I lick her clean.

I place a kiss on her throbbing clit before I'm hauled up in to a standing position. Bella sits up, wrapping her legs and arms around me as she crashes her lips to mine. Unexpectedly, she pushes me away from her. She slides off the table and pushes my underwear down my legs. She shoves me into a chair and wastes no time as she gets in my lap, sliding onto me.

Her breathing picks up the second I'm completely sheathed inside of her. I wrap my arms around her, holding her to me, reveling in the connection of being with her like this. I won't lie and say that I don't do this to get off, but it's so much more than _just_ getting off. Being with her like this, so intimately, so completely connected in every single way, always makes it so hard to not come as soon as I'm inside of her. She's so tight and wet and warm and perfect and then you add how amazing it is to be with her like this, and you can understand why it gets a little difficult to stay in control.

As soon as I have enough confidence I won't blow my load immediately, I relax my grip enough for her to start moving. She starts off with a slow rhythm to drive me insane. I grip her hips and start moving her instead. She grips onto my shoulders as I bounce her up and down on top of me. My arms get tired after a moment. I pull her to me as I stand, kicking my boxer-briefs off my feet and walking into the middle of the kitchen. I lower us to the floor, laying down on my back and pulling her down on top of me, staying connected the whole time.

I press my lips to her ears, telling her, "Hold on, little girl."

She curls up on my chest, pressing her face against my neck. I brace myself on the floor before I start thrusting into her from underneath. I wrap my hands around her shoulders from behind as I pull her down every time I come up. Her fingers dig into my chest as her whimpers and moans drive me harder into her.

She rises up so she can ride me. It's such an amazing sight seeing her like that. She throws her head back as she bounces up and down. Her full breasts bouncing beautifully on her chest; I want nothing more than to attach my mouth to them. I sit up, cupping both of her breasts in my hands and burying my face between them, licking, sucking, kissing, and nibbling as much skin as I can.

She arches her back, offering herself to me as she leans back to brace herself on my legs. The sight does it for me. "Fuck, baby, please…" I rub my thumb on her clit. "I need you to come, baby."

I wrap my arm around her as I rub her clit roughly. I press my face against one of her breasts, sucking her nipple hard. She screams out as she clamps around my cock. I pull her down on to me, sheathing myself one last time as I empty into her.

We sit there for a moment, leaning against each other, sweaty, panting heavily. I kiss her neck, slowly moving my way up to her ear. "_Fucking perfect_…" I whisper in her ear.

I feel her lips curl in to a smile against my shoulder. I grab her hips, about to break our connection when she stops me by wrapping her legs and arms around me. "No," she whispers against my shoulder.

I groan. My dick is sensitive and she wants me to stay inside of her for a little longer. She drives me crazy. "Baby," I pant. "Too much," I manage to get out.

She whimpers as I pull her off of me. I pull her back against me, holding her for a moment longer. "We always have the best sex on Sundays, do you know that?" she asks me.

I chuckle, kissing her chastely. "I noticed that."

She kisses me, rubbing her nose against mine before she pulls away. "I can't wait until I'm here all the time. Promise me that when I move in we'll still do this."

"Amazing sex? Or amazing sex on the kitchen floor?"

She giggles and looks around like she just realized where we were. She smiles at me. "All of it."

I press my forehead against hers. "I promise, Bella. All of it."

She sighs softly and nods. "I'm holding you to that."

I place a big wet, sloppy kiss on her neck, causing her to laugh loudly. I didn't want to think about serious things right now. We still had a long time before she's moved in to this apartment. I didn't want to think about her not being here.

We both pull our clothes back on and sit down for breakfast. Before she actually takes her seat, she gasps. "Oh! I almost forgot!"

She grabs the laptop and sets it down in front of us at the table.

"Tattoos, Bella?"

She nods proudly. "I found what I want."

"There's no reason to rush into this."

She rolls her eyes. "Shut up, Edward. You aren't talking me out of this."

I shake my head quickly. "I'm not talking you out of it. I want you to get a tattoo, Bella. I think you'd look a million times more beautiful with ink, but just because you're turning eighteen next weekend doesn't mean you have to go get one right away."

She gives me a bored look. "Are you finished so I can show you what I'm going to get?"

_Jesus Christ, she's so fucking stubborn._ I grit my teeth and nod. "Show me what you want."

She smiles brightly and brings up the page with the tattoo. "I want this tree."

"It's a dead tree. Why do you want a dead tree tattooed to your body?"

She rolls her eyes again. "It's not dead, Edward. Just because it's leafless doesn't make it dead. Trees lose their leaves all the time in the fall and winter and they aren't dead."

I nod. "Okay. So you're getting a large tree tattooed to you."

She ignores what I said, looking me in the eyes as if she were getting ready to gauge my reaction. "I want to get our initials tattooed on the tree making it look like they were carved there."

My mouth drops open slightly. "Seriously?"

She nods. "Yeah, I think it would be…"

"Fucking sexy as hell."

She grins and shrugs. "That and I'd just like to have a reminder of you with me all the time." She looks down at her hands as she turns to face me in her seat. "I was thinking maybe I could get some birds flying from the limbs. Two red ones for now… just to represent us."

I hook my finger under her chin, causing her to look up at me. "What do you mean for now?"

She bites her lip before smiling crookedly. "I want to get more birds added eventually."

I frown at her, not understand where she's going with this. "If the red birds are for us, then what would the other birds be for?"

She takes a deep breath. "Well, for our kids. I want to get a little blue bird for our son and a pink bird for our daughter."

I push my empty plate away from me, grabbing her and hauling her up onto the table in front of me. I love being able to pick her up and do with her as I please. My eyes lock onto her stomach, pushing her tank top up enough to show me her flat belly. I feel her hand on the back of my neck and the other running through the side of my hair.

"Edward?" she calls to me softly.

I look up at her. "I think that would be the best tattoo ever, Bella. I love it."

Her lips curve into a small smile. I press my face against her stomach, kissing her softly before looking back up at her. "Where are you going to get it?"

She motions to her side. "I want it to take up my side. I want the branches to flare out around my chest and back and the birds to fly right here," she motions to the top of her left breast. I sit up a little straighter and press four kisses to her chest.

"It'll look great."

"Does this mean I can get it without you trying to stop me?"

I nod. She smiles brightly, climbing into my lap and hugging me tight. "Thank you, Edward. I didn't want to have to fight you about this."

I pull away and cup her face in my hands. "I just didn't want you to get a tattoo that you'd regret. I didn't know you'd put so much thought in to this."

She smirks at me. "You should be able to look in the mirror and see that I don't do things half-assed."

I roll my eyes, kissing her cheek and moving her back into her seat. "You're just doing me a favor by lowering your standards to be with me."

She rolls her eyes right back. "As if. I'm not even entertaining this conversation with you. Eat some more breakfast so we can go take a shower."

____

BPOV

____

_Finally._ It's Friday and I have a three-day weekend ahead of me. Betty and Joe were giving me Monday off because of my birthday being on Saturday, so I have three days of nothing but relaxation. I just have to suffer through that stupid birthday party tonight and then I'll get to spend the next three nights with Edward. Edward told me he wasn't sure if his regular tattoo guy, Riley, would be able to do my tattoo this weekend. He told me he couldn't get a hold of him, so we'd just show up sometime this weekend and hopefully get him.

Alice, Jasper, and I walk out of the school building at noon, like always. Alice wraps her arm around mine. "So, Birthday Girl, what do you want to do until your party tonight?"

I think of the few things I usually do at the house in order to spend the weekend with Edward. "I just need to pack my bag for this weekend. Oh, and get Jacob for the party tonight."

Jasper waves to himself. "I've got that under control. I'm going to get him and take him home so you don't have to worry about a thing."

I smile at him. "Thanks, Jazz. You're the best boyfriend a girl could ask her best friend to have."

The three of us laugh as we make our way to our cars. Alice looks at me before going to the passenger side of Jasper's truck. "Why don't I come with you while Jasper gets Jacob?"

I nod. "Yeah, it'll be nice having someone to talk to while I pack."

Jasper smiles. "You ladies have fun."

Alice hops into the passenger side as I climb into the driver side. She turns up the radio that Emmett and Rosalie had installed for my birthday, listening to the local rock station as loud as possible for the whole five-minute drive to Dad's house. Alice keeps singing the song as we walk inside and up to my room. I have to laugh at her level of energy. She's crazy sometimes, but that just adds to her character. It makes her more lovable.

"So, what do you take to the apartment in Seattle anyway? Don't you have clothes there?"

I shake my head. "Not a lot." I smirk as I turn to get my bag out of my closet. "I don't wear a lot of clothes while I'm there."

She fake-gags. "So gross."

I roll my eyes as I throw the bag on the bed. "You asked, I just answered your question," I smirk. She's still looking disgusted, "Can we just pretend that I'm not dating your brother? You're my best friend but anytime I try bringing up my relationship with _my boyfriend_, you avoid it or do that."

She grins. "You should've thought about that before you starting boning my brother."

I sigh and shake my head. "That's fine."

She laughs and nudges me as she takes a seat on the bed beside the bag. "I'm sorry, Bella. It's just hard to forget that you're dating Edward. I love hearing about how great he makes you feel, I'd just prefer not to listen to _how_ he makes you feel that great."

I nod in understanding. "I get that, I really do. I just need someone to talk to when it comes to this stuff. I mean, so much has happened in the few months we've been together. We talk about life as if we're the obvious choice for each other, as if there isn't another person out there that could make us happy and we don't even need to question it."

Alice frowns. "Are you having second thoughts about being with Edward?"

I shake my head quickly, "Never! God, no." I sigh dejectedly, pushing my bag back so I can sit beside Alice. "I just worry that he'll come to his senses eventually."

Alice scoffs. "Come to his senses? You mean you think he doesn't want this as much as you do?"

I frown. "It's hard to explain, Alice. I mean, he tells me all the time, he shows me every chance he gets, that he loves me unconditionally. I just… it feels like… I'm afraid that…"

"Spit it out, woman!"

I close my eyes and take a deep breath. "What if something happens?" I open my eyes and look over to Alice. "What if this doesn't work out? I mean my parents—"

"Are different people, Bella. You can't base your relationship on what your parents had. Charlie and Renée are way different than you and Edward. The two of you are like… soul mates or kindred spirits or something like that. You two go together like two things that mesh really well… I can't think of anything now, but really, Bella, you shouldn't worry about that."

I smile down at my hands before asking in a small voice, "How do you know?"

"Where is this coming from, Bella? Why are you second guessing this?"

I shake my head. "It's just too perfect, don't you think? I mean Edward is… amazing. He's caring, attractive, funny, smart, a great cook, and he loves me without a doubt. And we've only been together for four months."

"You think you're rushing this?"

I get off the bed and start pacing. "I'm getting his initials tattooed to my side this weekend, Alice. If I'm rushing this, then—"

"What?!"

I turn to her and see her hands over her mouth, which I know is wide open behind them. "What?"

"You're getting a tattoo?"

I nod. "Yeah."

"Of just his initials?"

I shake my head. "No. There's going to be a big tree and birds… two birds… red ones… to represent him and me. Then when we have kids I'll add birds according to what they are, you know blue for boy and pink for girl."

She frowns. "Wait, wait, wait. Okay. You're sitting here second guessing this whole thing but within the next seventy-two hours you're going to have his initials and a bird all for him tattooed on you." She scoffs when I nod. "You're wasting air, Bella. This conversation is completely pointless. You guys are so infatuated with one another that you don't even see life beyond the each other. Even if someone better did come along, neither of you'd notice for the simple fact that you'd be too busy looking at him and vice versa." She stands and pulls my bag back to the edge of the bed. "Pack your bag, Bella. When I get back from the bathroom, we're going to talk about something non-pointless."

She winks at me as she walks by me and into the bathroom. I look at the bag on my bed and see I haven't even started packing. I quickly gather the clothes I need as I go over our conversation in my head. I never doubted my feelings for Edward being genuine—or his for me for that matter—it's just that… this seems so rushed. I never thought I'd be here at eighteen. Hell, I'm not even eighteen yet! I'm seventeen with a serious boyfriend who I'm living with part-time. It's not… normal.

But I wouldn't trade any of it for the world. I just hope I don't fuck this up. Edward isn't like the stupid guys I've dated previously. Edward is more important than all of them combined. By far. He's… he's _fucking perfect_.

Alice walks out of the bathroom right as Jasper and Jacob pull up. Time flies when you're thinking about your future, apparently. Jacob has been really good at taking my mind off of Edward lately. He doesn't let me sit and think about things. He keeps me occupied, and I'm one hundred percent thankful for that.

We meet the guys downstairs and Jake gives me a big hug before making his way into my kitchen. I leave everyone to finish packing my bag. Before I walk back downstairs, my phone rings. _Edward…_ I quickly pull it out of my pocket and flip it open.

"Hey," I sigh into the phone.

"Hey, baby. I'm driving out of Seattle city limits as we speak."

I can't help but get excited. "Yes! Great! That means you'll be here soon."

"Yeah, maybe two and half hours."

"Edward, please be careful."

"Baby, I'm always careful. Just because I drive a little faster than normal doesn't mean I'm prone to wreck."

"I know, but if you did wreck it would be worse than if you were doing the speed limit."

"Bella…"

I sigh. "I'm sorry. I don't want to argue. I just want you in my arms in one piece."

"And I'll be there in one piece soon. Where are you now?"

"I'm at the house with Alice, Jasper, and Jacob."

"Good. Go hang out with them until I get there. Jake should be able to keep you occupied until I arrive."

I giggle; sometimes I feel like he can read my mind. "Alright. I love you."

"Love you, too, little Birthday Girl."

I roll my eyes as I tell him bye and hang up. _So hot…_ I grab my bag and head downstairs, depositing it by the door before I make my way into the kitchen.

"So we've got about two hours before we need to be at my house. What are we going to do?" Alice asks.

I shrug. "Whatever you guys want to do; I'm game for just about anything."

Jasper shrugs. "Why not go ahead and head over to your house and see if your parents need any help setting up?"

Alice rolls her eyes. "Come on, we all know it's because all you want to do is play video games."

Jacob and Jasper high-five each other. Jacob nudges Alice with his elbow. "C'mon, Happy, I bet I could beat your ass at _Resident Evil_."

"Pfft. As if."

Alice and Jasper ride over to the Cullen's house in Jasper's truck while Jacob comes with me. He stretches his long arm over the back of the bench seat. "So when is Edward supposed to get here?"

"He called me before I came downstairs to tell me he was just leaving Seattle."

"Do you know what he's getting you?"

I nod. "He's getting me a tattoo."

Jacob's jaw drops. "A tattoo? Bells, you're only eighteen!"

I roll my eyes. "Thank you, _Edward_, but I know how old I'm going to be. I don't need a reminder."

"You mean Edward, Mr. I-Have-A-Ton-Of-Tattoos, tried to talk you out of getting one?"

"Getting one _so soon_. He told me I needed to wait until I was older, basically. He didn't want me to regret it."

"And do I want to know what means you used to change his mind?"

I laugh. "I don't use sex to get what I want, Jake. Edward and I have sex because we enjoy it, not to get what we want out of one another."

He waves his hand trying to get me to stop. "Okay, that's enough. I don't need to know what you guys do in Seattle."

I roll my eyes again. "What is with everyone thinking it's disgusting to listen about Edward and I have sex? I'm not going to go in to detail with how or when. I'm not going to give you details at all, but fuck, it happens, okay? Edward and I have sex."

Jacob laughs loudly. "You okay, Bells?"

I sigh and shake my head. "I just don't have anyone to talk to about my relationship with Edward. I have no one to get advice from, no one to bounce ideas off of, and no one to compare things with. It's so freaking frustrating."

"What about Alice?"

"She's too busy pretending to vomit whenever I mention Edward. She doesn't want to listen to what my problems might be because they could lead to me talking about having sex with him."

"You don't have any other girl friends?"

I shake my head. "Nope. The only friends I have are you and Alice, and Jasper by relation."

"What about the blonde one? The girl that's dating Emmett."

"Rosalie?"

"Yeah, the two of you have something in common. You're both dating a Cullen. There's bound to be some bonding compatibilities there."

I take a deep breath and nod. "Wow, I never thought about Rose. She's supposed to be there tonight; maybe I can talk to her."

Jake nods. "Good, because I honestly don't think I can be a girl for you, Bells."

I smile, shaking my head. "It would be sort of strange to see you be the girl, Jake. Funny as hell, but strange."

* * *

When we get to the Cullen's house, Rose and Emmett are already there. I hope I can find the time to get Rose alone. We grew close before school started, but we'd never sat down and had a heart to heart with one another.

Thankfully, when we get inside, we find that Carlisle is at work and Esme and Emmett are cooking, leaving Rosalie to hang around the kitchen watching them do their thing. After the four of us tell Esme we've arrived, we migrate into the den with Rosalie behind us. I let Alice, Jake, and Jasper get ahead of us, grabbing Rose's hand to stop her from following them.

She frowns at me, but I watch the other three walk through the door before I turn to her. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

She gives me a concerned look, but nods her head. The two of us walk upstairs, going into my old bedroom. I walk over to the chaise lounge as Rose shuts the door and takes a seat on the bed across from me.

"Bella? Is everything okay?"

I smile up at her, trying to let her know all is good. "Everything's fine. I just wanted to ask you something."

She nods. "Sure, anything you want."

I take a deep breath. "This is going to sound kind of corny, so just… overlook it, okay?" She nods again. "I really need a friend and I was kind of hoping that you'd be my friend."

She looks like she's holding back her laughter. I roll my eyes and motion to her. "Laugh; I know you want to."

She giggles softly, politely keeping my pride intact. When her laughing stops, she takes a deep breath. "Okay, I'm sorry about that, but you were right. That was a little corny." She releases her breath and looks down at her hands. "But I… well, I thought we were already friends."

"Oh, I didn't… I just meant…" I groan. "Dammit…" I get up and move to sit beside her on the bed. "I just meant that I want to be good friends, you know. The only girlfriend I have is Alice and I can't very well talk to her about things going on with Edward and me."

Rose frowns. "Something's going on with you and Edward?"

I shake my head quickly. "No, no. It's just that sometimes I just need someone to talk to about it. Someone that's going through what I'm going through and… well, you're also dating a Cullen." I smile. "So I figure since we're both marrying into this family, we should sort of… stick together."

She smiles back at me. "I'd really like that, Bella. We should get together sometime; just the two of us."

I nod. "I'd really like that, too."

We link arms and head back downstairs, walking into the den just in time to hear Alice yell, "Where is your ass at now, bitch?!"

Jasper can't help but laugh loudly at his girlfriend's hilarious display of sportsmanship when it comes to video games. Apparently, she is better at _Resident Evil_ than Jacob. Jake laughs in her face, which pisses her off even more.

"What's so damn funny, you giant!? I just kicked your ass like I told you I would."

"It's just you're so tiny, but you get so angry!" This causes him to laugh even harder.

Alice gets so mad she hits him repeatedly in the arm. Jasper quickly intervenes, picking Alice up and throwing her over his shoulder as he escorts her out of the den, kicking and cursing. Rose and I stand just out of the way of the door in complete shock.

Jacob gets off the floor, chuckling and shaking his head. "That girl is a tiger! A tiny, tiny tiger." He motions to the entertainment center. "Wanna play me, Bells?"

I shake my head. "No, thanks. How about we watch some TV or something? I don't want to let whatever possessed Alice possess me—that shit was scary."

The three of us laugh and take a seat in front of the TV, waiting for the rest of the guests to arrive. A couple hours later, Dad and Carlisle show up within minutes of each other. Everyone is standing in the kitchen when we all hear a car horn blow. I jump up from my chair. "Edward!"

I hear Alice and Jacob laugh at me as I run from the kitchen and out the front door. Edward smiles at me as he gets out of the Volvo. I jump into his waiting arms, causing him to fall back against the car door laughing. He sets me on my feet and kisses me. "Hey, Birthday Girl."

"Hey."

I press my lips against his once more before he turns around and squats down. "Hop on, love."

I crawl on to his back and he gives me a piggyback ride into the house. Esme and Emmett had finished dinner ten minutes ago and we were waiting on Edward to get here. When we walk into the kitchen, everyone is getting ready for dinner: moving the food over to the table, grabbing plates and silverware, getting drinks, and washing their hands.

Edward deposits me in my chair. "Don't move an inch. I'll get your plate."

I smile up at him sweetly. I have a feeling this weekend is going to be Pamper Central at the apartment. _Ugh… I'm so damn lucky…_

Everyone greets Edward as they fill their plates and glasses. Once everyone sits down, the conversation flows easily: moving back and forth between the academic lives of us youngsters to the work lives of the parents. As soon as Esme notices that everyone is finished with dinner, she claps her hands to grab attention.

"I think it's time to open up some presents."

Alice claps her hands excitedly. "_Yes!_ Present time!" Anyone would think it was her birthday instead of mine…

We all migrate into the living room, where a stack of presents is set up on the coffee table. I don't know when they had the time to place all the presents there without me seeing them, but they did. Edward grabs my hand and pulls me over to the armchair. He motions for me to sit down in the armchair as he takes a seat at my feet.

"I'll hand them to you. Any one in particular you want first?"

I look at the presents and eye them carefully. "Give me the smaller ones first and just scale up from there."

"You got it, babe."

Everyone gathers around the living room while Edward hands me my gifts. I can't help but smile at his kindness. He's so sweet to me and I love every fucking second of it. He grabs three small envelopes and turns to catch me staring at him.

He winks. "Here, open the red one first."

It goes on from there until I have a gift card from _Victoria's Secret_, _Barnes & Noble_, and_ Daphne's Taco Emporium_. There are so many clothes, books, jewelry, concert tickets, and electronics that I can't remember who bought me what.

As Alice and Esme pick up all of the torn gift wrap, Edward stops them. "Wait. There's one more gift."

Everyone watches as Edward pulls out a small business card from his back pocket. He hands it to me with a proud smile on his face. I read the card out loud, "Midnight's Tattoo Parlor."

I gasp, smiling down at him as he tells me, "My tattoo guy recommended this girl, Mick. She's real excited about the tattoo you want to get. I've got you an appointment set up tomorrow morning."

I can't help but launch myself at him, knocking him onto his back. I straddle him and rain kisses all over his face repeating '_thank you_' in between each kiss. Dad laughs. "Okay, okay. Don't make us have to turn the water hose on you two."

I pull away from him, letting my curtain of hair block us from the others' view. I kiss his lips for a couple of seconds before I pull away. "Thank you, baby."

"Happy birthday, love."

He gets off the floor, holding me to him like I weigh nothing. He sets us down in the armchair I was in a minute ago. We sit and talk with our family for a little while longer before loading all my presents into my car and heading back to Seattle. It's a long drive at this time of night.

We get home around eleven. After unloading my goodies and overnight bag, we take a bath and get in bed. Edward smiles at me. "It's midnight. It's officially your birthday."

I pout. "And I don't even get to sleep in."

He pokes me playfully. "Welcome to the grown up world, love."

I narrow my eyes at him, causing him to laugh. I roll over, pretending to be angry. "Aw, baby. I was only kidding."

He lays his hand on my arm and I shrug it off. "No."

"Bella, seriously, love, I was only kidding."

I shrug, keeping my mouth shut because I know he'll be able to hear the laugh I'm trying to hold back if I speak. He huffs, rolling me over on to my back, straddling me, and pinning my arms beside my head.

"Isabella Marie Swan. You are not about to get angry over something as silly as what I said."

I laugh. I couldn't hold it back any longer. His grip on my wrists lessens and he sighs. "You're evil. Pure, unadulterated evil."

He falls over on his side of the bed as my laughter dies off. Edward moves over towards me, laying his head on my shoulder. "I'm using you as a pillow tonight."

I hum happily, enjoying being wrapped around him once again. I kiss the top of his head. "Love you," I whisper.

"Sometimes I wonder."

I slap the back of his head and grin at him when he looks at me incredulously. "Wrong answer."

He narrows his eyes at me before lying back down. "Love you, too, devil woman."

"That's better."

He chuckles, nuzzling my neck with his whiskers, causing me to laugh again. I push him away. "Stop it! We have to get up early tomorrow."

"Sorry," he mumbles as we get back into position.

I finally fall asleep, running my hand through his soft hair.

* * *

I wake up to cursing and beeping. It is almost as if the alarm clock is trying to censor Edward's swearing. I can't help but giggle at that. "What the hell is so funny?"

I roll over and smile at him, curling up to his chest. "Don't get mad at me first thing, baby. I just thought it was funny that the alarm clock sounded like it was censoring your dirty words."

He sighs deeply. "I'm sorry, baby." He kisses my forehead. "I just prefer waking up naturally and that fucking alarm clock is _not_ natural." I nod in agreement. "Happy birthday, by the way."

I laugh, pushing him away and getting out of bed. "Come on. Let's get ready. I'm too excited to snooze."

"I need coffee," he grumbles.

I have to wonder how someone so happy can wake up in such a horrible mood. Most of the time he's just a little short, but if he wakes up to that alarm clock, he's ready to cut off someone's head. I get dressed while he goes to make coffee. I pull on a pair of white cotton pants and a black fitted t-shirt. I slip on a pair of flip flops and walk out of the closet. From what I can tell through the curtains, it looks like a nice, bright and shiny day.

I smile at the sun shining through the curtains before heading downstairs. Edward is leaning on the counter with his head lying on his arms. I shake my head as I walk up behind him. "Do you want me to just go to the parlor while you get some more sleep?"

He stands up straight and spins around. "Hell no! Bella, this is your first tattoo! I'm not going to miss this for the world!"

I smile brightly. "Good! Because I'm so fucking excited!"

I clap my hands in true Alice fashion, causing him to smile. _Finally, the funk is lifting._ "I hope you know you're in for a world of pain, baby."

I roll my eyes. "Duh? I doubt a tattoo is a walk in the park, not to mention a tattoo on my side. Hopefully, all the tickling I've endured has toughened me up."

He laughs and shakes his head. "Doubtful. But you're a trooper, you'll do fine."

"You'll let me hold your hand?"

He nods. "I'll let you crush my hand if it helps you to take your mind off the pain, love."

I kiss his cheek and push him towards the door. "Go get dressed. I'll make you a cup of coffee."

He cups my face and kisses my forehead. "So lucky," he mumbles against my skin.

I fix a quick breakfast of eggs and toast and make two cups of coffee. Edward is back downstairs and helping in a matter of minutes. Once we've eaten, we hop in the Volvo and head to Midnight's.

I've never been in a tattoo shop before now. I've seen them on TV, but it's totally different being here. It smells like a hospital—which is good, since it means everything is sterile and clean—and the vibrating of the tattoo guns makes me think of a dentist office—which is a bad thing since I hate the dentist.

Edward takes my hand and walks up to the counter. "She has an appointment with Mick."

The guy looks at me and then to Edward. "Mick had an emergency she has to take care of out of town. She won't be back for a while. I'm taking over her appointments until she gets back. The name is Jenks, Jason Jenks. You can call me Jenkies."

I can't help but giggle at the name. _Jenkies?__ Seriously, what grown man would let himself be called that?_ That's _before_ I notice the Scooby Doo tattoo on the inside of his right arm, then it all makes sense. Before I can comment on it, Edward quickly says, "No, no, no. She needs a girl to do this."

I scoff. "No, I need a tattoo artist to do this, Edward. It can be a girl or boy."

Jenkies chuckles. "You two let me know what you want to do. I'll be in the back by my station."

Edward spins around and pulls me towards a corner near the front of the store. "Bella, you can't be serious about letting a guy—especially _this_ guy—do this tattoo."

I close my eyes and shake my head. "I wondered why you didn't take me to your tattoo guy."

"I didn't take you to my guy simply because he's a douche. Riley gets off on giving girls tattoos because he likes touching them. It's disgusting and if he didn't do such an awesome job, I'd find someone else. He recommended Mick. He said she is amazing at what she does and I think you should wait for her to get back."

I open my eyes, narrowing them at him. "You going all caveman on me, aren't you? You don't want another guy touching me is that it, even if it's for a tattoo?"

He narrows his eyes back at me. "I'm not going to pay some jerk to put his hands on you, Bella."

I push him away. "Then _I_'ll pay for it," I tell him as I walk past him.

He growls and grabs my arm, spinning me back around. "Well, go find another girl to do it."

I yank my arm from his grip. "You go find another girl tattoo artist. I'm going to get my tattoo while you're on it."

I walk away from him quickly so he doesn't have the chance to grab me. I know he could very well grab me and throw me over his shoulder, hauling me out of this tattoo parlor and back home without too much of a fight on my end simply because he's so much stronger than me. I knew loving his ability to manhandle me would come back to bite me in the ass eventually.

I walk over to Jenkies and smile at him. "I'm ready."

He smiles back at me. "Great. Mick told me that… your boyfriend?" I nod. "Your boyfriend said you wanted this," he says as he produces a picture of my tattoo, "tattooed on your side with these birds flying over your left breast, is that right?"

I nod. He takes the pictures back and motions to a room near the far side of the building. "Let me go get a stencil of these and we'll get started." He motions to a small laptop beside his work station. "Feel free to flip through the music and pick something to listen, too. It makes the time go by faster and keeps your mind off the pain."

I smile and nod, looking behind me once Jenkies disappears into the room. Edward is standing there watching me with a scowl on his face. I turn back around and start looking through the music. I hardly register any of the titles because my mind is so focused on the very angry man behind me. We hardly ever fight, but when we do, we do it well.

I notice Three Days Grace and click on them, taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly as the music starts playing. I turn around and see Edward still watching me. I walk over to him and look up in to his angry face. "Edward, I really need you right now."

He shakes his head. "I can't believe you're going to make me watch this."

I look down at my hands. "I don't understand why you're so upset about this. It's not like I'm going to enjoy his touch." I tentatively place my hands on his chest and look back in to his eyes. "Edward, please?"

He sighs and shakes his head. "Of course I'll be here for you, Bella. Just don't expect me to like it."

I smirk. "I would have to question you greatly if you did."

He didn't chuckle or smirk or show any sign that he thought that was funny. I take his hand we walk over to Jenkies station where I sit down on the bench and wait for him to come back. Edward stands beside me with his arms crossed over his chest and a look of irritation on his face. Thankfully, when Jenkies comes back with the stencil, Edward doesn't look at or say anything to him.

Jenkies prepared his gun and got the colors he needed for the tattoo. He looks at me once he's ready. "Alright, I'm going to need you to take off your shirt."

Edward sighs and clenches his jaw. I pull my shirt off and cover my bare chest with it as he positions the chair how he needs it. He brings up a stool to place my feet on so I can lean against my knees to help cover myself. Edward grabs a chair from another station and sits in front of me.

For the next five hours I endure the most intense pain I've ever had to go through. Edward holds my hands and says nothing as I squeeze and twist his hands. Whenever it becomes too much for me, he presses his face against our joined hands and kisses my knuckles, repeating the words '_it'll be okay_' or '_it'll be over in a minute_' over and over again. When it comes time for the branches of the tree to reach up towards my breasts, I have to move and cover myself with my hands so my shirt doesn't get in the way. Edward only sits with his arms crossed and foot tapping.

Finally, the tree is complete. I've watched people walk in and out of the shop, getting tattoos, piercings, or both. We take a break and eat some of the lunch one of Jenkies co-workers offered to get for us. The tacos from _Daphne's_ look more like comfort food than lunch. Like I'd told Edward this morning, I knew this wouldn't be a walk in the park, but that didn't mean that it would hurt less with that knowledge.

Jenkies stands. "I'll give you guys a minute or two. I'm going to go take a smoke break."

Edward doesn't look at him, but nods his head. I take a long look at my fuming boyfriend. He's picking at his tacos like he's not really that hungry. I hate that I did this to him. I grab the taco from his lap and set it to the side. He frowns at me with confusion. I get up and straddle his lap.

"Bella…"

"Shh," I tell him as I place a finger over his lips. "You've been so angry all day and I didn't want this. I just wanted a tattoo. His hands might be touching me, but _your_ initials are on me, tattooed on my side forever." I press my chest against his in an effort to get closer to him and to hold my shirt up so I can run my hands through his hair. "Please don't be mad anymore." I give him a soft kiss, whispering against his lips, "Please?"

He rests his forehead against mine. "I'm sorry, Bella, but I can't do that for you," he tells me in a low and precise voice, as if he were trying to hold back his anger. "Maybe once we're done here and back home… but… please don't ask me again."

I nod, moving off of him. He sighs dejectedly, but I ignore him. If he wants to be angry, then he can stew in his jealous rage. I'm going to enjoy the little bit of time I have left before my first tattoo is completely finished.

Jenkies comes back and smiles at me. He looks at Edward and shakes his head slightly before grabbing the second stencil. "Alright, it's time for the birds. Where exactly do you want these?"

I point and tell him where exactly to place them. He asks me about the birds and I tell him they represent Edward and me. I tell him about the little birds I'm going to add and he smiles. "That's an awesome tattoo idea. I get people in here all the time that want a tattoo just because it's cool or whatever. Not many people put thought into the design and meaning of their tattoo. I can see why Mick was so excited to do your tattoo."

I'm a little nervous about showing my bare breast to someone besides Edward. It's happened before with my other boyfriends, but I don't know Jenkies from any other stranger on the street. I try not to let my unease show simply because I don't want Edward to notice my discomfort and get even angrier.

Thankfully our conversation picks up and turns to the more interesting tattoos that he's done and before I know it, I have two red birds flying across my chest. I smile over at Edward and am rewarded with a small smile. Once he has me wrapped up, he tells me I need to go home and wash it with plain, non-scented soap and to keep it moisturized with non-scented lotions. He gives me a few brand names for the soaps and lotions and sends me to the front of the store to pay.

Once we're out of the parlor, Edward takes my hand. "We have what we need at the house, if you're ready to go home."

I just nod, letting him lead for right now. I don't want to upset him anymore by saying something I shouldn't. We get in the car and head home. The ride is silent and he keeps his hands to himself, which is strange and makes me upset. Today is my birthday and it's supposed to be an awesome day, but so far it's looking grim.

When we get home, he doesn't wait for me as we head into the house. This only upsets me even more. Usually, no matter what, he waits at the end of the car for me or opens my door if I'm taking too long. I follow him inside and see him walk into the kitchen. I leave him to his anger as I head upstairs to get myself cleaned up.

I walk into the bathroom and see the soap on the edge of the bathtub. I push the door closed, not too worried that it didn't shut all the way. I carefully pull off my shirt and slip out of the rest of my clothes quickly. Before I have the chance to pull the bandages off my tattoo, the door opens quickly. Edward is standing there in only his pants. He's breathing quickly and his face is slightly red.

I frown up at him. "Edward?"

The frown he'd been wearing all day deepens and before I realize it, he picks me up and sets me on the counter beside the sink. I hiss as the pain from the pressure he applied to my bandaged side courses through me. He cups my face roughly before kissing me just as harshly. He takes my bottom lip into his mouth, biting on it hard before pulling away.

"You're mine," he says through clenched teeth.

"Edward—" He doesn't let me finish before he crashes his lips against mine again. The grip he has in my hair and the one on my hip are hard. His behavior confuses me. It scares me and arouses me at the same time.

My hands dive into his hair, deciding it's better to go with it than to fight him. He rips the bandage off my side, the pain hitting me so hard I lose my breath. He doesn't stop as he rips it off the top of my breast as well. He pulls away from me and pulls his clothes off quicker than I'd ever seen before. He grabs me off the counter and pushes me into the shower.

He slams the door shut before starting the shower. I lean against the shower wall, watching him in anticipation, hoping whatever he's doing for whatever reason won't hurt much. He grabs me once the shower is running and pulls me under the spray. He stands behind me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

"You don't understand how hard it was for me to watch him touch you, to watch as he stared at your breast." He reaches his hand over and squeezed it until I gasped. "This is mine."

He gently ran his hand down my tattoo, wiping off some of the ink and dried blood as he went. "This is mine." He slid his hand around to the front, cupping my pussy in his hand. "_Mine_," he said in that precise voice again.

He presses his fingers against my clit, circling it forcefully. That is the only preamble before he turns me around, grabs me up, pushes me against the wall and thrusts into me harshly. I scream out in pain and pleasure at the viciousness of his actions. I shove my hands into his damp hair, gripping two handfuls as I pull myself closer to him.

"You're mine," he says again. "Say it. Fucking say who you belong too."

"You," I breathe out. My breathing picks up as he pounds into me.

"Louder. Say my name."

"Edward. I belong to you."

"_Louder!_"

"Edward!"

I've never felt him like this before, so angry and volatile. He yanks my hands from his hair, holding them above my head with one hand as he continues to pound away. The dull throb of the tattoo becomes more profound as my skin is stretched. He crashes his lips against mine causing me to whimper.

He presses his thumb against my clit. "When you come, I want you to say it again as loud as you fucking can, do you understand me!?"

"Yes," I whisper.

I feel it coming on. I take a deep breath, waiting for it to hit before I release, saying his name. When it does, my hands clench into fists and my toes curl. I scream his name as loudly as possibly. He slams into me one last time, his angry grunt turning into a whimper as he finds his own release.

He suddenly pulls away, setting me on my feet as he backs away from me. "I'm sorry," he whispers.

He turns to get out of the shower, but I grab his wrist, freezing him in place. I turn the shower off and plug the drain to start the bath. I make him sit down in the bathtub. I crawl into his lap, straddling him. He doesn't look at me, keeping his eyes closed and his face downcast.

"Edward?"

He doesn't say anything, still refusing to look at me. I wrap my arms around his torso, laying my head on his shoulder. "It's okay, Edward. There's no reason to get angry over today, not this angry. I understand why you did, but Edward, I'm yours—completely." I pull away from him and take his hand, placing it over the bigger of the two red birds. "This is you, baby. Don't you get it?" I rest my forehead against his. "No matter who touches me or looks at me or talks to me, I'm yours. I'll always be yours."

He pulls me against him, taking care to mind my tattoo this time. "I'm so sorry I hurt you. Forgive me? Please God, forgive me, Bella."

I wrap my arms around him. "I forgive you, Edward. I told you I understand why you did what you did. I hate that you thought that you had to do it, though."

He pulls back and looks at me, kissing my forehead before resting his against mine. "I hate that you had to see that. I'm just… possessive. I didn't know I was capable of that, really. I… I feel like I just… ra—"

"Shh," I press a kiss to his lips before he could say it. "I didn't tell you to stop, so don't think that for a second, Edward. Everything that just took place was consensual."

He releases a slow, sad sigh. "Still, today is your birthday and I just ruined it by acting like a jealous idiot."

"You did."

He looks up at me. "Let me make it up to you. I'll cook us dinner and we can go do something you want to do. Anything, just name it."

I smile up at him. "Anything?"

He nods. I kiss him slowly before looking in to his sad green eyes. "Let's get this tattoo cleaned up, first. Then _we_ can cook dinner and curl up on the couch and watch TV, maybe something with Simon Pegg in it. When it's time for us to go to bed, I want you to carry me upstairs and make love to me until midnight. That should make up for today."

"You mean after what I just did—"

I place my finger over his lips, successfully shutting him up. "I'll always want you to make love to me, Edward; no matter how angry I am with you."

He wraps his fingers around the back of my neck, pulling my face against his as he crashes his lips against mine. He kisses me heatedly for a moment, a complete one-eighty from what just happened. "I'm so sorry, love. _So_ sorry."

"Please, Edward," I whisper against his lips. "No more apologizing. Just forget this happened so we can enjoy the rest of the day."

He nods. "Then let me take care of this tattoo for you."

I smile and nod happily as he sets about carefully washing my tattoo. Once we get out and dry off, he lathers me down with lotion, not stopping until my entire body is completely moisturized, even taking the time to rub my back and feet for me. _And so the pampering begins…_ He gives me a piggyback ride downstairs where we cook fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and baked macaroni and cheese. After dinner we watch about half of _Hot Fuzz_ before I start provoking him sexually. He carries me upstairs like I asked him to earlier and makes love to me until midnight.

"Happy birthday, Bella."

I smile happily. "It turned out to be a great birthday. Thank you."

He looks at the clock and smiles at me. "I know you said until midnight, but…"

I giggle pushing him onto his back. "How about until I pass out?" I ask him as I straddle his hips.

He laughs. "I like that one better."

* * *

So there ya have it... Mr. Edward isn't perfect, so please don't hate him. Bella doesn't hate him. I didn't talk to him for a couple of days, but we're cool now. Maybe most of you will just be like: "Dood... fo' realz? You warned me for _that_?!"

You don't have to be gentle with the review. I'll take your brutal honesty. Just... remember that I love you, k?

Leave 'em if ya got 'em.

(OH! PS: The Christmas Outtake will be posted a couple of days before Christmas, so look for it around then.)

(PPS: This is pretty important... k? Okay, so I'm not doing the outtake with Edward and his breakdown. That would be where Edward starts drinking and almost breaks him and Bella up. All you'll get from that time slot is the first two chapters of "_The Maiden Swan..._" You can head over to my profile for the reasons why. They're at the bottom of the page.)


	3. The Christmas Outtake

_**AN: **_I want to wish everyone Happy Holidays since I don't know all my Christmas equivalents!!!!!! Thank all of you so much for all the reviews you've left and words of encouragement you give me!! Thanks to all the people that read and don't review, as well. You guys still count!!! I love you all and to all a good night!!! *muah*

Everyone tell rcace thank you for suggesting a Christmas special. Had she not suggested it, it wouldn't be here. LOL!

There's a little treat for all Jasper/Edward lovers out there when you get to the end. :D

Enjoy!!! :D :D

* * *

_OUTTAKE_

_NO. 3_

**_THE CHRISTMAS SCENE_**

____

BPOV

____

What do you get the boy who has enough money to buy whatever the hell he wants? I could go for the practical thing and buy him things he needs. He needs new tires for the Volvo. His laptop is getting pretty raged. His iPod is a little buggy. A couple of his jeans are starting to tear in the knees.

However, I don't want to use his money to buy any of this stuff for him. I don't care what he says or how many times he says it; the money in his bank account is not mine to spend. He might force me to use it when it comes to my car, but I'm not about to use that money on his Christmas present… or should it be presents.

_Oh, dear God…_

I roll over and look at my clock. _Dammit, dammit, dammit!_ It's almost time for me to get up and go to school. Two bloody hours of sleep just isn't going to cut it. I should just get up and get ready for school. _At least it's Friday_.

I throw the covers back and get up, walking downstairs as I pull on a hoodie I stole from Edward's side of the closet. It's a UW sweat-shirt that he's had since his freshman year. It's nice and worn in and smells just like him. I make a pot of coffee and a small breakfast.

"Bella?"

I jump at the sound of my name. I didn't hear Dad walk downstairs. He frowns. "Sorry, Bells. I didn't mean to scare you. Thought you would've heard me coming. What are you doing up this early?"

I sigh, making him a cup of coffee. "I can't sleep."

He shakes his head. "Bells, I thought I told you not to worry about what to get Edward. He'll love whatever you decide to get him."

I nod. "I know, but the things I want to get him are things that I can't afford."

Dad clears his throat, looking slightly uncomfortable. "I don't want to talk money with you, Bells. What you spend your money on is your business, but Edward told me he had more than enough money to take care of you guys—"

I shake my head. "I'm not going to use _his_ money to buy _his_ Christmas gift, Dad. That would be just like him giving me the money to pick up something he wanted."

"Well, what do you want to get him?"

I shrug as I set his coffee down in front of him. "I don't know."

"Then how do you know you can't afford it?"

I take a seat across from him with my own cup of coffee and breakfast. "I was going over things he needs. The best I could do is some clothes. It's not like I make a lot of money at the diner, and all these trips to Seattle are killing my account."

Dad chuckles. "If Edward knew you were spending your own money going back and forth between here and Seattle, he would get so angry. When you tell him, make sure I'm in the room."

I roll my eyes. "Dad, seriously, I can take care of myself. I don't need Edward buying every little thing for me."

"It's not about buying things for you, Bells. It's about taking care of you. It's what men do, it's our jobs. Edward is honoring his role as the provider. If you're going behind his back and taking away the only thing he can give you while he's not here, that's going to hurt his feelings."

I frown. "Really?"

Dad nods, standing and grabbing his cup of coffee. "Really. Go ahead and tell him, see what he says. Just be prepared for a fight."

I groan. "I don't want to fight."

"You should've thought about that before you started spending your money."

He winks at me and walks upstairs to get ready. I hate it when he's right, and its worse when I know he's right and I can't try and argue about it. I decide to talk to Edward about it tonight. I'll bring it up somehow. I just hope he understands my point of view. I doubt he will. I know he'll get angry, but I have a job and I don't need him to take care of everything. It doesn't have to be his job.

* * *

When I pull into the driveway at the apartment, I can't help but let out a long sigh of relief. _Home._ I'm finally home. I couldn't wait until Christmas break. I plan on going straight to Seattle from school. No going back to Charlie's to pack a bag, but instead packing one the night before and heading home after school lets out.

I grab my bag and head inside, going straight to the kitchen to see what I can make for dinner. I smile brightly at the note on the refrigerator. I pull it down from the heart magnet and lean back against the large appliance as I read what Edward wrote.

_Hey, baby. I'm glad you're home. I'm going to try and get out of class early this afternoon, so cross your fingers. There's some ground meat in the fridge if you want to do something with it. If not, we can go to _Daphne's_ when I get home. _

_Love you—Edward._

I toss the note and open the fridge. I'm actually not in the mood for tacos, shockingly. I pull the meat out and look around the cabinets seeing what I can make with it. Since I have no noodles or sauce, I opt for hamburgers. I'll make them big and juicy just like Edward likes them.

I grab my bag and head upstairs, changing out of my jeans and into a pair of shorts and camisole. I run into the kitchen, sliding across the floor towards the meat to get started on dinner.

* * *

As soon as I take the French fries from the oven, the front door opens. "Bella?"

I slide back across the floor, slamming into Edward as he walks into the kitchen. Thankfully, he's sturdy enough to not stumble back. He smiles down at me. "Hey."

"Hi." I stand on my tip toes and kiss him chastely. "Dinner's ready."

I turn to walk back over to the stove, when he spins me back around and kisses me soundly. He pulls out of the kiss after a moment, smiling against my lips. "Welcome home."

I wrap my arms around him underneath his large wool coat. He's so warm and inviting and smells so good. _Mmmm…Edward…_ I push him away. "You're distracting me."

He chuckles, swatting my butt as I walk away. "Now you know how it feels."

I look over my shoulder and stick my tongue out at him. He shrugs out of his coat and helps me finish what's left of cooking dinner before we take a seat at the table and rehash our weeks with each other. After the dishes have been washed, he chases me upstairs to our bedroom.

We lay in bed making out for God knows how long before he pulls away from me and smiles. "So, my dear, what do you want for Christmas?"

I giggle. "I think the point of giving gifts is to not ask what I want."

He runs his hand up the back of my shirt. "Do you know what you're going to get me?"

_This is the perfect time…conversation wise. This is _not_ the perfect time when it comes to moments. What do I do? What do I do?_

I suck it up. "I'm not sure what to get you that I can afford."

He frowns in confusion. "What are you talking about, baby? Did you do some spending that I didn't know about? Like, maybe buy an island or something?"

I shake my head. "No, I don't really use that money. That's your money."

"No, it's our money. We've had this conversation before, Bella. You have your own card to that account."

I nod. "I know. I use it when I get gas for the car or when the car needs an oil change. Stuff like that."

He narrows his eyes. "But that's the only time you use it."

There is no inquisitiveness in his voice. He now knows that I don't use his money. He gets up from the bed and starts pacing. "Bella, why won't you let me take care of you?"

I sigh. "Because I can take care of myself."

He stops pacing and turns to me. Frowning, he tells me, "I'm not implying that you can't take care of yourself."

"Well, I don't need you to feel like you _have_ to take care of me."

He frowns harder before walking over to my side of the bed. He pulls me up on to my knees in front of him. "What do you mean by '_have to_'?"

"It's not a job you have to take on. I'm capable of taking care of myself."

He looks at me bemused. "You think this is a job? You think I feel like I'm obligated to take care of you?"

I frown in confusion. "Don't you?"

He laughs. "By now I figured you'd understand that I take care of you because I love you, baby. This isn't a _job_. Taking care of you is a privilege, a fucking honor." He cups my cheek in his hand. "Why would you think that?"

I shrug. "I've just always had guys try to… not take control over me, but do things for me because it's expected of them. I don't want you to feel like that."

He smiles crookedly. "No, love, I don't feel like that at all. I love taking care of you. I'm not there all the time to be the boyfriend you need me to be." His smile fades and he looks sad. "This is the only way I can be there for you all the time."

I smirk. "That's what Dad said you'd say."

He kisses my forehead. "It's the truth."

I pull away from him and lay back down on the bed, patting his side to get him to come lay back down with me. He does so, moving back against me like he was previously.

"So if you were around all the time, what would our weeks be like?"

He grins. "If I were a senior like you?" I nod. "Well, first of all, I'd bribe whoever I had to so I could get every class with you. Then I'd pick you up for school every morning and take you home every day. We'd do our homework together and watch TV, maybe cook depending on whose house we're at. You know Mom would never let us cook dinner for ourselves." I giggle and nod. "Eventually, we'd have to part for the night, but I wouldn't leave you without giving you a reason to remember me."

I move closer to him, giving him my best seductive smile. "And what would be your reason?"

He runs the backs of his fingers up my cheek before sliding them into my hair. He pulls my face towards his; brushing his lips over mine gently as he runs his hand from my hair down my spine. His hand slides back underneath my shirt, spreading his large hand over the small of my back.

He pulls out of the kiss, whispering against my lips, "Then I'd tell you goodnight."

I gasp, pushing him away. "That's it!?"

He bursts out laughing. "That's it?! Yeah, I'm eighteen, Bella. You'd obviously be my first steady girlfriend."

"What about the girl before when you were fifteen?"

"You moved here when you were fifteen, yes?" I nod. "Well, there you go. I wouldn't have even looked at her twice with you around."

I roll my eyes, but a swift smack to my ass prevents the complete eye roll. He smiles at me. "You think I'm just saying that, but I'm not. I would've totally asked you to by my girlfriend."

"Would you have asked me or been all suave and courted me?"

"Courted you? At fifteen, I had no idea what that meant, let alone entailed. I would've asked you out and then more than likely asked you to my girlfriend at the end of the date."

I smile, patting his cheek playfully. "I would've laughed at you."

He narrows his eyes. "But you would've said yes."

I shake my head. "Probably not. I probably wouldn't have said yes to the date."

His eyes widen in shock. "Are you serious?"

I nod. "I had no time for fifteen year old boys when I was fifteen. I liked older men… I still do, obviously. That's what I like so much about you. You might have some residual teenager behavior, but you're still grown up enough. You're looking for the same things I'm looking for and I wouldn't be able to find that in someone my age."

"I'm only four years older, Bella."

"I know. That's four years of life you have on these losers I go to school with. Seriously, Edward, I love that you're older than me."

"You said we were looking for the same things. What do you mean by that?"

"Someone to settle down with."

He grins crookedly and shakes his head. "I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you, love. I wasn't looking to settle down. I wasn't looking for anything but to finish school."

"Really?"

He nods. "Yup."

"So you _weren't_ looking to settle down _at all_?"

He shakes his head again. "If you'd turned me down completely, I would be girlfriendless right now. I'd actually be trying to find a way to get you interested in me."

I smile. "Really?"

He nods again. "Yup."

I press a slow kiss to his lips. "So I changed your life."

He chuckles. "Every damn day."

I giggle, pulling myself closer to him, wrapping myself around him. "Good."

He rolls us over so that I'm on top of him. I sit up, straddling his hips. I grab the bottom of my top and pull it over my head. "You've changed my life too, you know."

I toss my shirt on the floor somewhere. I won't need it any time soon. He sits up, cupping my breasts in his hands. "How so?" he asks me right before taking my nipple into his mouth.

My head falls back at the sensations he's causing rock through my body. I grip the hair at the back of his head, shoving his face against my breast. He opens his mouth and takes more of it in.

"You showed me what it's like to have someone do things for me," I say breathily.

He kisses his way up my chest and neck, moving towards my ear. "You better get used to it," he tells me as he lays me back. He kneels between my legs and strips off his shirt. I feel the rush of moisture at my core caused solely by the sight in front of me—disheveled auburn hair, broad, hard chest heaving with his heavy breathes, and the bulge in the front of his jeans that's begging for some attention.

"Gladly," I tell him as I pull him down on top of me. He obliges me for a moment, crushing me under his weight. He pulls away far too soon and grabs my shorts and panties, pulling them off quickly. He spreads my legs, leaving a trail of wet kisses as he moves towards where I need him most.

The feel of his tongue always causes me to gasp and jerk. He laps at my clit before moving to my entrance, thrusting his tongue in and out of me. He pulls away all too quickly, kissing his way up my body, lavishing each breast with kisses and nibbles.

When I can't take it any longer, I grab his hair and pull him towards me, crashing our lips together. "Please," I whimper against them.

He pulls away from me and gets off the bed, getting out of his jeans and boxer-briefs. Before he can get back in bed, I'm on the floor in front of him, kneeling down. I take his cock into my mouth, moving back and forth over him only a couple of times before he pushes me away. He grabs my shoulders and spins me around, pushing me over the bed.

"Is this what you wanted, baby?"

"Yes," I moan.

He pushes into me slowly, moving back out before he's completely sheathed. _Fucking tease…_ He does it again, but this time I push backwards, taking all of him in and causing him to gasp. His grip on my hips tightens considerably; I wouldn't be surprised if I have bruises in the morning. He stills me completely before telling me, "Jesus, Bella. You can't do that."

I try and move my hips. "Please don't tease me."

He pulls out of me and spins me around. He grabs my hips again and tosses me onto the bed. Before I have the chance to move, he's on top of me, inside of me. I wrap my arms around his shoulders, gripping on to his back and his hair as he moves quickly inside of me. He rests his forehead against mine, kissing me when he can.

"Dammit, Bella. You feel so amazing."

The only response I can muster is a whimper and moan as his pace picks up even more. I love having him like this, on top of me. He surrounds me completely. Unfortunately, it all starts to end too soon. I can feel my body start tingling, giving me that tell-tell sign that I'm about to reach my peak, grabbing Edward and pulling him with me when I fall.

I pull myself closer to him. "Close."

"Me, too."

He reaches down between us and rubs his thumb over my clit. That's it. I pull his hair and dig my fingers into his back. He wraps his arms around me and thrusts into me as deep as possible. We lay there for a moment before he rolls off of me, smiling at me as he looks over to see me panting and smiling too.

"So good," he whispers.

I giggle. "Always."

He rolls onto his side and pulls me against him. We curl up to one another sideways on the bed. After a moment, I start kissing on his neck and running my hands over his nipples. "Edward?"

"Mmm," he moans as I pinch his nipple. "Yeah?"

"Can we do it again?"

He chuckles. "As if you need to ask…"

____

EPOV

____

I think out of everyone I know Bella is the most difficult person to shop for. I'm her boyfriend; I should know what she wants! _God…I suck at this shit…_

"No…no, please stop…"

I look over at Bella. Her little forehead is wrinkled in a frown and her eyes are shut tight. I never knew she talks in her sleep. I roll onto my side and prop my head up on my elbow, listening to her.

"Edward…stop…" She giggles softly.

I can't help but chuckle at her. She squirms slightly and jerks. "Ugh…evil…stop."

I have no idea what she's dreaming but I feel like I should wake her up. I place my hand on her stomach and shake her gently. "Little girl, I think you should wake up."

Her eyes open slowly and she smiles at me lazily. I place a kiss on her forehead. "What were you dreaming about?"

"You were tickling me," she says groggily.

I can't contain my laugh at what she just said. I lay my head on the pillow beside her. "Maybe I should stop tickling you so much. It looks like I'm haunting your dreams."

"You won't. You're too playful." She rolls over and curls up to my chest. "What time is it?"

"A little past eleven," I answer reluctantly. I don't want us to get out of bed, but she wants to get some Christmas shopping done today; at least that's what she told me last night during dinner. Maybe she's changed her mind and wants to stay in.

She sighs. "I guess we should get up. I don't want to spend all day in town shopping."

_Dammit…_ "Me either. Do you want to make dinner here or go out tonight?"

"Let's cook."

"Alright. Go grab a shower and I'll go make a quick breakfast."

She groans and shakes her head. "We can get something at Starbuck's or somewhere. Come take a shower with me."

"Who am I to tell you '_no_'?"

She giggles and shrugs. "You'd be a crazy man to tell me '_no_'."

She winks at me as she gets out of bed, putting a little extra sway in those naked hips as she walks out of the bedroom and into the bathroom.

_Fuck…I won't ever get tired of seeing this woman naked._

* * *

After going to the Starbuck's on the corner, we head to the mall. I take her hand as we walk across the parking lot. "So, I'm going to be completely honest with you."

She frowns up at me. "Should I be concerned?"

I shake my head. "Not really. I just want you to know that I have _no idea_ what to get you for Christmas. So, I just want to apologize beforehand if I get you something and you don't like it."

She laughs at me, leaning against me as we walk into the mall. "Good, because I have no clue what to get you either!"

We both laugh together. This is a _huge_ relief. She stops us at one of the intersections in the mall and takes both of my hands into hers. "How about we do this; we only get each other one gift? That way we won't be stressed about getting each other the right things. We can exchange them before going to the Christmas party at your parents' house."

I kiss her forehead. "That's one of the things I love most about you. You're so fucking brilliant."

She rolls her eyes. "I just don't want Emmett laughing at what I get you."

"So you _do_ know what you're going to get me?"

She shrugs. "Maybe," she tells me with a wink. "Right now, we need to worry about getting things for everyone else."

I sigh. "You're right. I don't even know where to start."

She pulls out a piece of paper from her back pocket and hands it to me. I unfold it and see a list of names with possible present ideas written beside them. "I should've given you this list earlier, but we were otherwise preoccupied."

I wink at her before looking at the list more thoroughly. "When did you come up with this?"

"Well, I've been listening closely to what everyone's been saying for the past couple of months in anticipation for this moment right here. As far as I know, no one has gotten themselves any of those things."

I take a look at the stores that surround us and then down at the list. "If we split this in two, we could get it done in half the time."

She pouts. "But we won't get to spend any time together."

I lean forward and kiss that pouty bottom lip. "We'd get more time at home if we got out of here faster."

She scrunches her face in dislike, but nods her head. "You're right."

"Finally."

She rolls her eyes and pulls out her cell phone. "I have mine on vibrate so I won't miss your call if you need something."

I tear the list in half and hand her the half with the most girls. She grabs the front of my shirt, pulling me down to her for a searing kiss. "Hurry," she whispers against my lips.

"Like Speedy Gonzalez, baby."

She giggles, kissing me once more, before pushing me away and heading off in one direction, leaving me to go in the other. _I'm so fucking lucky…_

For the next three hours, I go from store to store buying things for everyone on my half of the list. By the time I'm done, my arms are so weighed down with bags that it's hard to walk. I make a trip out to the car and call Bella as I walk back into the mall.

"Hey," she answers breathlessly.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just a little bogged down with all these bags."

"Where are you? I can help."

"Where are your bags?"

"In the car."

"Oh, thank God. I'm in front of _Bath and Body Works_, please come help me."

I chuckle. "I'm on my way, baby."

"Thank you."

I run towards _Bath and Body Works_, getting strange looks from everyone I pass. I come to a skidding halt in front of Bella, whose sitting in front of the store on a bench. She smiles up at me. "My hero."

"I've always pictured myself as the bad guy."

She rolls her eyes. "Yes, because helping your girlfriend carry Christmas presents for your family is as diabolical it gets for every bad guy, right?"

I narrow my eyes at her. "This could be all part of my nefarious plans, little girl. I could get these gifts home, distract you from wrapping them until next weekend, and plant bombs in them in the mean time."

She shakes her head, laughing softly. "You've been watching too much TV, Edward, seriously."

I grab the majority of the bags. "I get bored while you're gone. What am I supposed to do?"

A group of girls take that moment to walk by us, giggling and ogling me like neither Bella or I would notice. She smiles up at me. "Watch too much TV."

I laugh at her as we make our way back to the car. "Honestly, love, you don't really think I would cheat on you?"

She shakes her head. "No, I don't think you'd cheat on me, but I do think girls would make you try to do it."

"Then you just need to be around more often to keep the home wreckers at bay."

She scoffs. "You say that like I don't want to be here, like I avoid coming here as much as I can."

I shake my head. "That's not what I meant, Bella," I say defensively.

She stops in the middle of the mall. "I don't want to fight over nothing, okay? Let's just get these bags to the car, run to the grocery store to get something to cook, and then go home and relax. My feet hurt, my back hurts, and I'm tired of people."

"The joys of Christmas shopping," I say with a wink, trying to lighten the mood. I don't want to fight either. I didn't mean anything by the comment I made, and I know it's hard for the both of us when she leaves every Sunday. We'll get time together soon when Christmas break comes. We'll both be off from school and have nothing to do but be together.

She smiles at me and nods. The fight is forgotten. We walk out to the car, load the gifts into the trunk, and head the grocery store. We buy the ingredients for quesadillas and go home, enjoying the rest of our weekend.

____

BPOV

____

Thankfully, last Saturday Edward and I did most of the Christmas shopping. I still needed to get something for Edward and then send something down to Mom and Phil. I might still be mad at my mother for how she treated Edward and me when she came during my accident, but she _is_ my mother and it _is_ Christmas.

Jacob told me Monday afternoon that we could spend Tuesday afternoon in Port Angeles doing some shopping since he still had to get gifts for his friends and father. He pretty much felt the same as he did with his father as I did with my mother. We didn't want to give them anything, but it just wouldn't be right if we didn't.

I meet him at his house at three p.m. and then drive all the way to Port Angeles. Fortunately, Billy and Dad were going to hang out at the house tonight so I wouldn't have to worry about driving him all the way back to La Push.

"So do you know what you're going to get Edward?"

I sigh and shake my head as we walk down the sidewalk in downtown Port Angeles. "No. I have no clue."

Jake chuckles. "Why not just get him a new car or something? He's loaded."

I pull my coat around me tighter and shake my head again. "Just because I have access to all this money doesn't mean I know how to spend it. This card didn't come with instructions, Jake. It's like Edward gives me this thing and expects me to just know what to do, what to use it for. I hate even using it, but he tells me it's the only way he can take care of me since he isn't here to actually do it."

He chuckles. "Edward's a good guy, Bella. He just wants to make sure you're okay and giving you that card to his stupidly large bank account just helps him sleep better at night. It's just money, Bells. The only way to spend it is to buy something. I doubt he even looks at the bank statements."

"He doesn't."

"See? So what are you worried about? He wants you to spend the money, so spend it. Buy him something that he doesn't have that he really wants."

I roll my eyes. "Yes, because he doesn't have the means to buy anything he wants when he wants it."

He nods. "Okay, I can see the dilemma. Is there something he has now that he needs a new one of? Maybe like a new laptop? Or TV?"

I shake my head. "He could use a new laptop, but I want to get him something special."

"Then make him something."

I frown up at him, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk. "Make him something? What do you mean?"

"Well, you're used to not having money, right?" I nod. "Then do something that makes you feel comfortable. If you don't want to spend a lot of money, then don't. Make him something."

I look down at the ground, contemplating what Jake just said. "Make him something," I repeat in a low voice.

Several things go through my mind, but one sticks out. I smile up at Jake. "You're freaking brilliant!"

He chuckles and nods. "I've been known to have a good idea or two in my time."

I grab his arm and steer him in the direction I need to go. I buy all the supplies and then call Alice. I wouldn't be able to do this without her help. I give her all the information she needs so she can give me what I want without her knowing what I'm doing. I don't want her to blab it to anyone, let alone Edward.

After we buy my things and get the gifts Jacob needs, we head back to my Dad's house. Billy's truck is sitting out front. I hate that I'm going to have to talk to him. He's always so rude. His beef with the Cullens has bled over to me by association. I usually ignore him, but I get a bad feeling as I get out of the car that I won't be able to do so tonight.

Jacob and I walk through the front door and find Dad and Billy watching football. Dad smiles up at us. "Hey, you two. Did you guys find what you need?"

I nod. "Yup. Jacob even helped me figure out what to get Edward."

Dad chuckles. "And what did you get him?"

I gasp with fake shock. "I can't tell you that! You might blab."

He chuckles. "Yes, because Edward and I talk on a daily basis."

Jacob chuckles as he takes a seat on the couch. I roll my eyes. "Still, what if you do?"

He throws his hands up in surrender. "Fine, don't tell me."

My phone starts ringing at that time. "See? He knows we're talking about him!"

Billy grunts. I narrow my eyes to say something but Dad tells me, "Why don't you take that call in your room? I don't want to listen to your lovey dovey conversation."

Dad knows good and well Edward and I don't get "lovey dovey" on the phone. I just nod my head and go to my room.

"Hey." My greeting isn't too happy.

"Well, hey to you too."

"I'm sorry. Long day." I don't need him worrying about the treatment I get from Billy Black. He's got enough on his mind.

"Aw, baby, I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do?"

"Nothing but talk to me. How was your day?" I ask, trying to redirect the conversation. We talk for a long time before finally getting off the phone. As soon as I hang up, there's a knock at my door. I open it to find Jacob on the other side.

He smiles. "Am I interrupting?" I shake my head. "Good. I just want to tell you bye. We're heading out."

We hug and say our goodbyes. He offers his help with the present if I need it, but I laugh in his face, telling him this needs a girl's touch. He scrunches his nose and shakes his head, telling me that I can handle it then. Once he's gone, I take a quick shower and get ready for bed. I pull out all the supplies I bought for my gift and start mapping out some of the things I could do with it all.

When I open my eyes and see that I've fallen asleep in the middle of my bed with all this crap around me, I can't help but chuckle. I pick everything up and put it away before getting ready for school.

* * *

When I get to school, I wait by my car for Alice and Jasper to show up. Edward's description of what we would be like if he were a senior in high school instead of college makes me a little sad. I wish we could have what Alice and Jasper have. Jasper picks her up for school every day and they hang out as often as possible. It's sweet how he walks her to class and carries her books for her.

"Bella?" Alice calls to me.

I spin around and see Alice and Jasper standing there. I smile. "Sorry, lost in a moment."

Jasper looks apologetic. "Sorry to disturb you."

I shake my head quickly. "No, no. I'm glad you did. How are you guys this morning?"

Alice groans. "I'm ready to be done with high school."

I chuckle and nod. "Me too. We get a reprieve in a couple of weeks though."

Alice nods. "That's exactly what this place feels like… prison, and we're on death row." She shoves a large envelope in front of me. "The only thing I can think you're doing is creating some kind of collage or maybe a scrap book."

I shrug. "I don't know what you're talking about. I asked for these pictures so I could have something to masturbate to while I'm away from Edward."

She fake gags and walks away from me cussing a storm. Jasper can't help but chuckle and give me a thumbs-up. He loves it when I gross her out like this. We follow her to class, keeping a few feet behind her so that she won't turn on me and cuss me out in the middle of the hallway. The rest of day flies by and when Jasper and Alice ask if I want to get together for homework and a pizza, I turn them down. I have a Christmas present to work on and only two weeks to get it done.

I want to be able to take my time and get it right. It has to be perfect for him. It has to be.

____

EPOV

____

"What are you getting Victoria?"

James leans against the pool table in the middle of the Recreation Center on campus. He sets up his shot and shrugs. "Probably some of her favorite perfume."

He shoots and misses. Peter steps up and looks at the table. "What are you getting Charlotte?"

"She's all excited about seeing some ballet this summer, so I'm going to get her tickets." He lines up his stick with the cue ball and takes his shot, missing his too. "Shit!" He sighs. "Why? Do you not know what to get the amazing Bella?"

I ignore his jibe at the way I talk about my girlfriend. They just didn't understand how I could be so in love with her so quickly. I am tired of trying to explain it to them; they'll understand when they get to meet her.

"No, I don't know. I've been wracking my brain for the past couple of weeks. We talked about it last weekend and we agreed on just one present that we'd exchange alone."

"Then you could just get her anything," James says right before he takes his shot, making it finally.

I shake my head. "No, I can't _just get her anything_. This is our first Christmas. I don't want to _just get her anything_."

Peter chuckles. "You're making too much out of this, Edward. It's Christmas. It's not the last Christmas you'll ever spend together if you're so sure she's the one."

I roll my eyes. "So not the point. It needs to be special, Peter. It's not like I can just take her down to Daphne's and get her some tacos and say, "Merry Christmas, baby." This present needs to show how I feel about her."

James nods his head and then tells me, "Get her a necklace."

Peter motions to the table, silently telling James to take a shot. I frown, thinking about James' idea. "A necklace…" I mumble to myself. The perfect idea pops into my head and I shoot up out of my chair. "Thanks guys, seriously. I don't know what I'd do without you two."

I run out of the Recreation Center and head to the nearest jewelry store. I know exactly what I'm going to get her.

* * *

The next two weeks fly by and the Friday before Christmas I find myself pulling up into the driveway to see Bella's car in the garage, right where it's going to be for the next two weeks. I grab both her present and the dozen red tulips I picked up for her today. I walk into the house and find Bella in the kitchen making dinner. She smiles at me as I walk in and smiles brighter when I pull the tulips from behind my back.

She walks over to me, taking the tulips and tossing them on the counter before attacking me. She kisses me heatedly and I can't help but respond just as eagerly. We wrap our arms around each other, holding on tight.

"I missed you," she whispers against my lips.

"I missed you, too," I whisper back.

"We've got the next sixteen days together."

"Mmm," I hum against her lips. "Sixteen days."

She giggles and pulls away far enough to look into my eyes. "Do you think you can put up with me for that long?"

I roll my eyes. "It's going to be hard, but I think I can do it."

She pushes me away, going back over to the stove. "It's _me_ that's going to have to put up with _you_," she tells me as she gives me wink.

I chuckle, nodding. "You're right."

She stirs whatever is in the pot on the stove and turns off the burner. It smells like spaghetti. She spins around and smiles. "So, I was thinking that maybe we could have a nice little dinner and then exchange gifts."

I nod. "Yeah, I like that idea."

She claps her hands together. "Great. I'm going to go get comfortable. Dinner's ready if you want to fix us a plate."

She tries to walk past me but I stop her. "How about I come and help you get comfortable?"

She shakes her head smiling. "No, we have the next sixteen days for that."

I pout. "But what if I wanted to change too?"

She narrows her eyes. "Do you?"

I nod. "I would like to get out of these jeans."

She narrows her eyes a little more. "As in…?"

I chuckle. "As in get out of these jeans and into a pair of sweat pants."

She smiles and nods. "Then I'll allow you upstairs."

"What the hell, Bella? Why are you denying me sex?"

She rolls her eyes and grabs my hand, dragging me behind her as we head upstairs. "I'm not denying you sex. I'd just like to get dinner over with and exchange gifts. I'm excited to show you yours. But if I don't _deny_ you sex, then it'll be a couple of hours before we can exchange gifts."

I nod. "Okay, okay. I see your point. Deny me sex."

She giggles and shakes her head. We change into some comfortable clothes and head downstairs to eat dinner. We talk about the past week while we eat. Once dinner is over and the kitchen is clean, Bella bites her bottom lip. "Ready?"

I chuckle and nod. Her excitement has me a little worried. What if my gift isn't as awesome as hers? We head upstairs where our gifts are hidden. I hid hers in the closet while I was changing into my sweats earlier. She pulls my gift out from underneath the bed while I get hers from the closet. I'm a little taken aback by the size of my gift.

We sit Indian-style in the middle of the bed, facing each other. "At the same time?" she asks.

I nod. "Yeah, same time."

We both hand over the gifts and open them. Bella gasps at the necklace I bought while I pull out a rather large book. She picks up the necklace and smiles as she sees the engraving on the back of the diamond heart pendant. Just the letters _E&B_ are etched into the diamond in white gold to match the chain. She smiles brightly up at me, but her smile fades when she notices I haven't looked at my gift.

"Sorry, I just wanted to see your reaction. Do you like it?"

Her smile comes back full force and she nods happily. "Yes, I love it. I'm going to wear it the Christmas party. It's beautiful. Thank you."

She gets on her knees and leans forward, placing a soft kiss on my lips. She takes the book from my hands and sets it down in my lap, ready to be opened.

"I know you tell me that I have all this money to spend and that it's your way of taking care of me, but I've never needed a lot of money. My mother's a school teacher and before she met Phil that's what we lived off of; a school teacher's salary. Dad sent money once a month, but he's a cop in Forks, it's not like he's rolling in the money either. My point is that I wanted to give you something that came from the heart and not the most expensive store in the mall." She motions to the necklace. "Just like you did me." She sits back on her feet and opens the book to the first page. "It's a scrapbook of us. It tells our story, so to speak. There are pictures of us before we met, all the pictures of us together since then, and then a blank section for the rest of our lives that we can fill with anything we want."

I have to chuckle at the cute pictures of her as a kid. There are so many of us together over the summer. Either she or Alice had a disposable camera at all times. I smile up at her once I flip the last decorated page.

"It's fucking perfect, baby. I love it."

She smiles, looking slightly relieved. "Really? You do?"

I nod, shutting the book and moving it off my lap so I can replace it with her. "I do, honestly. You put so much more thought into that book than I did into your necklace."

She shakes her head. "No, you put thought into that necklace. You know that I only wear silver and white gold. You had it engraved with our initials. I love it so much; don't try to make it less than what it is." I nod. She smiles happily. "We did well. We both did really well."

I laugh out. "You're right; we did alright for our first Christmas."

She kisses me sweetly, but it turns into more after a moment. She pulls away, grabbing the book and necklace, slipping them in the large gift bag the book came in, and setting it on the floor behind me.

"I'm not denying you anymore."

I groan, laying her underneath me. She runs her hands up my chest, pushing my shirt up as she goes. I lean up and strip my shirt off and look down at her.

"You're so beautiful. I love seeing you lying before me like this, wanting me just as much as I want you."

She winks at me. "Better get used to it."

I shake my head chuckling. "Never."

She smiles at me as she winks. I pull her top off of her, relishing her desire to go braless when she's here. I strip her sweats and panties off of her, getting an eye full of her naked form before I attack her. Last weekend we couldn't do anything because it was her time of the month, but now, this pussy is all mine.

I switch back and forth between sucking and nibbling on her clit and fucking her with my tongue. I want her to come a few times before I'm finished with her. Both of her hands dive into my hair, her small nails digging into my scalp while she calls my name as she comes.

_That's one._

I give her a moment to come back down, kissing my way up her beautiful body until I get to her breasts. _Her amazing tits._ They were just the right size for my hands to cup them. I love waking up to her topless with the blanket around her hips with her lying on her back. It's such a wonderful sight to behold.

I kiss and nibble at her nipples—all over her chest, really. Her little hands grab handfuls of my hair, yanking me up to her lips. While she kisses me, I sneak my hand in between her legs and slide my fingers inside of her. She gasps into the kiss before kissing me with a renewed interest. I quicken the pace of my fingers thrusting in and out of her before slowing down and rubbing her clit with my thumb. Her hips start rocking against my hand and I know she's close. Before she can tell me, I curl my fingers upwards and press hard on her clit as I circle it with my thumb. She screams out to God as she comes again.

_That's two._

"Edward, please…"

"Please what, baby?"

"Fuck me."

I shake my head. "No. I don't want to fuck you."

I move away from her and pull off my sweats and boxer-briefs before moving back to her. I position myself at her entrance and lay down on top of her. "I want to make love to you, little girl."

She groans, wrapping her arms and legs around me. I slide into her, causing both of us to gasp at the feeling. I move slowly at first but even I can't take the torture. Watching her come twice before now has me on edge. I know what it feels like to be inside of her when she comes and I imagined it both times.

Suddenly, her hands are on my chest, pushing me away from her. I fall off to the side of her, waiting for her to climb on top of me, but instead, she just smiles at me, before moving down and taking my cock into her mouth.

_Oh… my… fucking… Christ… that's so… ugh…_

She moves up and down a few times before I grab her and stop her. "If you keep on, I'm going to come in your mouth and I'd rather come in your pretty little pussy. Now get over here, little girl."

She giggles and throws her leg over my hip, straddling me. She runs her fingers over my nipples, pinching them as she slides down onto me. I end up thrusting up into her before she's all the way down. The combined sensations had me completely on edge. I had to stop her from moving.

"Fuck… dammit, Bella."

She clenches her inner walls around me, biting her lip as she looks down at me. "Please…let me move…"

I shake my head. "No."

I attach my thumb to her clit, not moving it away from her little bud until she comes. I push her off of me slightly before slamming back into her.

"_Fuck!_" she cries out.

I do it once more and she falls forward, crashing her forehead against my chest. I wrap one arm around her, holding her against me as I brace my feet on the bed and pound into her. Her moans get louder and louder. I roll us over so she's on her back. I pick her legs up and throw them over my shoulders before leaning forward, pounding into her again. I rest my forehead against hers as she cries out, latching on to my arms.

She takes a deep breath and comes, whimpering loudly. The sensation and the sound of her coming make me follow her immediately; like always. As soon as I can, I get off of her, knowing being bent in half with me on top of her is making it hard for her to breath.

Her legs fall lifeless to the side, twisting her lower body so her legs are away from me. She sighs, trying to catch her breath. "Fuck me… that was amazing."

"Give me a minute and I will."

She giggles, playfully slapping my shoulder. "You're going to have give _me_ a couple of minutes. I've never came so hard in my life."

I chuckle, pulling her against me. She smiles. "Merry Christmas, Edward."

"Indeed, love." I kiss the top of her head. "Merry Christmas, little girl."

____

BPOV

____

For the next couple of days, Edward and I hardly move from the bed. Surprisingly, we just lay and talk to each other, saving the nights for our more intimate times. When we realize it's Christmas Eve and we've successfully avoided everyone's phone calls, we get up and get ready for the party. Edward has to call his mother and calm her down. After five irate voicemails, Esme tells Edward she is two seconds from coming to Seattle before Edward called. Thankfully, Edward calms her down enough and tells her we will be in Forks on time.

I slip into my dress and walk out of the closet to find Edward. I need him to zip me up. I walk out of the bedroom and see him standing at the sink shaving his face.

"What the fuck are you doing?!"

He scoffs. "It's called shaving, love."

I growl. Edward turns slowly until he's facing me. "Did you just growl at me?"

"Yes! _Why_ are you shaving?"

"Bella, I looked like a dirty bum. I don't want to look like a dirty bum in front of my parents' friends. Some of these people are pretty important."

I frown angrily. "But… dammit!"

He takes the last swipe of the razor and splashes his face with water. "Baby, I promise not to shave again until I am otherwise forced to do so."

He pats his face with aftershave and turns to me. I'm standing here with my arms crossed over my chest and—what I'm positive to be—the most petulant, childish look on my face. He looks at my dress. "Do you need me to zip you up?"

I sigh and nod, turning around slowly. I love his scruffy face. It's both ticklish and arousing. He looks so manly and uninhibited when he hasn't shaved in a few days. It makes him nearly irresistible. I already have a hard enough time keeping myself in check, but when he's scruffy, I'm putty in his hands.

I lift my hair up and out of the way of the zipper. He zips the dress up slowly before pulling me back against him, wrapping one arm around my waist and the other around my shoulders. He presses his face against my neck and my senses are over powered by his scent and the feel of him. He smells so good and he feels so warm. I melt against his chest.

He chuckles softly. "Bella?"

"Hmm?"

He kisses me under my ear. "We need to finish getting ready."

"Ready?"

"Yes, for the party, remember?"

"Party? Oh!" I push him away from me. "You're not ever allowed to use that aftershave again! Do you understand me? It's like… a brain melter."

"Melter? Is that even a word?"

"Who cares? That aftershave is strong enough to coin its own phrase."

He laughs at me as I walk into the bedroom and head straight for the closet. I breathe deeply as I walk in, clearing my head of his scent and wicked thoughts that orbited around him as the smell of clean clothes fills my senses.

_God, please let me make it through the night without embarrassing either of us… please? _

* * *

Once we're on the road to Forks, I'm more relaxed and calm. I've gotten used to his scent and I no longer have the dire need to jump him—it's just a small need.

"So who are these important people?"

"Dad told me that a couple of doctor friends from Seattle plan on coming to the party. The same doctor friends are professors at the medical school I'll be attending."

I sit up straight and smile sweetly. "So that means I have to play the part of the perfect girlfriend?"

He chuckles and rolls his eyes. "As if that's going to be a stretch for you."

I can't help the giggle. "You're so right."

He tugs on the hem of my dress. "Where did you get this dress? You should've warned me you were going to be showing off those amazing legs."

I move my legs so they're more on display for him. He groans. "Beeellllaaa…"

I laugh. "I bought it the other day with Alice. We went shopping for outfits for tonight."

"You know, I think I might have a solution to your financial issues."

"Oh really?"

He nods. "Yup. I think you should start depositing your checks into my account. That way you're spending your money as well."

I tilt my head to the side as I contemplate his idea. "That might be a good idea you have there."

He fixes his coat, trying to make himself look sharper. "I know."

I roll my eyes. "Whatever. I'll close my account before we leave Forks. We are staying the next _two_ nights in Forks, right?" He nods. "Then I'll do it after Christmas."

He kisses the back of my hand. "And if it doesn't work, then you can just open your account back up and I'll make deposits into your account."

I can't help but laugh. "I can just imagine the look of complete shock on the tellers' faces when I go to get my account balance."

"Yeah, I doubt Forks has seen that kind of money pass through the bank's hands in a long time."

* * *

When we get to Forks, we're right on time. Everyone is just arriving or due to arrive at any minute. Emmett and Jasper help Edward unload the car while I grab our bags and take them upstairs to his room. Alice and Rosalie follow me upstairs rambling about all the cooking and decorating they've been doing for the past couple of days. They both inform me that they tried calling Edward and I several times to come participate with the festivities, but I cut them off before they could really complain about our absence.

"You'll have to overlook our need to see each other since it only happens once a week for all of forty-eight hours. It's been nice to just be together without my looming departure counting down as we try and squeeze a week's worth of time into two days."

They both nod and shut their mouths about it after that. When we get downstairs, Rose and Alice both go to Jasper and Emmett. The two couples look like they're in rapid conversation, separately telling each other to lay off on the joking, more than likely.

Esme and Carlisle intercept my path to Edward. He looks like he's talking to one of those important doctor people.

"How have you been, dear? It feels like it's been a long time since I've seen you," Esme tells me as she brushes my hair off my shoulder.

I shrug. "I think it has been awhile. I've been _really_ busy."

Carlisle smiles as he pats my shoulder. "Just make sure you're resting, Bella. We don't need another scare when it comes to you."

I laugh, rolling my eyes. "I'm never going to live that car wreck down, am I?"

The two of them laugh and shake their heads as they tell me '_no_'. Dad and Jacob show up soon after that, and I find myself mingling with them when the most embarrassing, yet hilarious thing happens.

"No, no, no! You're under the mistletoe! You have to kiss!!"

Jacob bursts out laughing before I can turn to see Jasper and Edward standing under the mistletoe. It's hanging in the kitchen door, waiting patiently for something like this. Jasper and Edward look at one another nervously as the rest of the party joins in with Emmett.

Edward looks up at me, as if pleading for help. I shake my head and shrug, mouthing my apology, "Sorry."

He turns to Jasper and sighs. "Let's just do it. We aren't going to get out of this."

Jasper sighs dejectedly. "You're right. Let's just do it."

Every girl in the room is waiting on baited breath. I mean, let's face it; Jasper and Edward are two hot men and to watch them kiss would just be… heaven. Slowly, so very slowly, they move towards one another. Edward brings his hand up and cups the side of Jasper's face while Jasper's hand reaches around the back of Edward's neck. Finally, when their lips touch, there's a collective gasp. Their lips move against the other's, looking as if the two of them are enjoying the kiss.

"Okay, that's enough!" Alice demands, ruining it for all of us way too soon. She seems to be the only female, besides Esme, to not be enjoying this, though Esme is laughing so hard she can't breathe.

Edward and Jasper pull away from each other. Edward pats Jasper's cheek. "That's how it's done."

I can't help but giggle as Edward walks on into the kitchen, as was his purpose for being in the doorway while Jasper just stands there for a moment, totally perplexed as to what just happened. I turn back to Jake and Dad. "I'll be back."

The two of them laugh as I walk into the kitchen to find Edward downing a bottle of water. I walk up to him and smile. "You know, that was kind of hot."

He cocks an eyebrow at me, taking one last drink of his water before looking me dead on. "Seriously?"

I nod, stepping closer to him. "Yeah."

He groans. "Bella, baby, you're killing me."

I press my body against his and smile up at him. "Welcome to my world."

He bends down and kisses me for a moment. I pull away and pat his cheek like he did Jasper's. "_That_'s how it's done."

He narrows his eyes at me as I wink at him, getting out of his reach before he can grab me.

* * *

The rest of the party goes on without another incident like that. Edward and I get trapped under the mistletoe near the end of the party, and afterwards, once the party is over and we're cleaning up, he kisses me every time we pass underneath it. When Emmett and Jasper get caught under it, Jasper reaches up and rips the mistletoe down, throwing it on the ground. "I refuse to kiss the entire Cullen family!"

He stomps up stairs, leaving everyone but Alice laughing. Once everything is clean and the majority of the house has gone to bed, I find Edward in the living room starting a fire.

"What are you doing?"

He stands in front of the fireplace and turns to me, smiling crookedly. "I just thought we could relax down here for a little while."

He holds his hand out to me. I bite my bottom lip and walk over to him, taking his hand. He leads me over to the loveseat, where we curl up together under a throw blanket. He presses his lips to my ear, whispering, "I love you."

I smile, snuggling deeper under the blanket and pulling his arms tighter around me. "I love you."

I feel his hand on my inner thigh. I try to suppress my moan. "You know," he starts off in a low, seductive voice. "I hear there's a twenty-four hour window where Santa isn't watching and you can be as naughty as you want without him knowing it. It's sort of like a free Naughty Pass."

I giggle, knowing full and well that this is complete bullshit. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"And when did this window start?"

"About 10 hours ago."

I grab his hand and guide it inside my panties. "Then we better not waste anymore time."

He groans. "Merry fucking Christmas to me."

* * *

Remember, if you guys want to see other outtakes that might have happened, let me know. Feel free to ask for them as we go along. I love doing these outtakes. :D

Leave 'em if ya got 'em. Thanks for reading!! :D :D

PS: This is pretty important... k? Okay, so I'm not doing the outtake with Edward and his breakdown. That would be where Edward starts drinking and almost breaks him and Bella up. All you'll get from that time slot is the first two chapters of "_The Maiden Swan..._" You can head over to my profile for the reasons why. They're at the bottom of the page.


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